ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2026
Suture tape augmentation in arthroscopic lateral ligament repair for chronic ankle instability yields similar clinical outcomes but faster return to sport compared to isolated repair.
Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Generalized Joint Laxity Is an Independent Predictor of Postoperative Resprain Following Anatomic Reconstruction Using Gracilis Tendon Autograft for Patients With Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeArthroscopic ligament repair is a standard treatment for chronic ankle instability (CAI). In patients with risk factors for failure, isolated repair (ILR) may be insufficient and augmentation techniques have been proposed. This study compared ILR with suture tape-augmented repair (LR + STA), hypothesizing comparable outcomes in higher-risk patients.
methodsIn this retrospective, indication-based cohort study, all patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for CAI between 2019 and 2022 were included. Patients were allocated to two groups: Group A underwent ILR, and Group B underwent LR + STA due to pivoting-sport participation, generalized ligamentous laxity or poor-quality remnant ligament. Clinical evaluation was performed preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months using the Foot Function Index (FFI), visual analogue scale (VAS) and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure-Sports Subscale (FAAM-SS). Return to daily activities (RTD), work (RTW), sport (RTS) and complications were recorded at final follow-up.
resultsA total of 105 patients (mean age 30.8 ± 14.5 years) were included: 44 in Group A and 61 in Group B. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in all clinical outcomes from baseline to final follow-up (p < 0.001). At 2 years, no significant between-group differences were observed in VAS (1.2 ± 1.7 vs. 0.7 ± 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.6; 0.6), FFI (9.7 ± 13.5 vs. 5.7 ± 7.6; 95% CI -12.7; 4.7) or FAAM-SS (86.6 ± 20.9 vs. 90.5 ± 12.9; 95% CI: -9.9; 17.5). No major complications or recurrences of instability occurred. RTS was significantly earlier in Group B (12 vs. 20 weeks, p < 0.001), while RTD and RTW showed no significant differences.
conclusionBoth isolated repair and suture tape-augmented repair achieved excellent outcomes with no significant differences at 2 years. Despite being performed in patients with higher functional demands or greater failure risk, suture tape-augmented repair demonstrated similar complication rates, no recurrence of instability and an earlier RTS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.