Ankle MRI: Anterior Ligaments in Sagittal Plane
HIDEInteractive Transcript
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Let's look at the anterior collateral ligaments
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with the foot in the neutral projection.
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You are emotionally, anatomically
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anchored by the fibula.
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See the peroneus brevis and
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longus, so you should be oriented.
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Tip of the foot here, back
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of the foot or heel here.
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We've got the anterior talofibular
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ligament, the most commonly torn
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ligament in the ankle right there.
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That is the fibular attachment.
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which hardly ever avulses.
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It usually tears in the mid-portion,
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or sometimes near the talus or neck.
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And then up higher, we have the anterior tib-fib
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ligament, which is more broad and fan-shaped.
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You can see these on the T2, not
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so much, or not so easily on the
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proton density fat suppression image.
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And then as we get up a bit higher,
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we get into this syndesmotic membrane.
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So these structures here are part of the high
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ankle, so when you hear the term high ankle
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sprain, that's what we're talking about.
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Now let's scroll.
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Here we are at the fibular tip.
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Here's where we were.
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Now let's go a little more deeply.
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Look at what happens to your syndesmata complex.
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It's very short.
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It's very stubby.
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It goes right into the tibia.
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So now all you see is a black band.
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Let's look at our anterior talofibular ligament.
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It is coursing into the screen.
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So it's curving away from you, so
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you're not going to see it very easily.
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In fact, that's the last you see
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of it in the sagittal projection.
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The value, though, of the sagittal projection
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is that when you have injuries here, you can
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see avulsions of the fibular tip, and if you
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have a chronic tear, you, you'll develop a
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mass, almost a meniscoid lesion right here,
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that is oval in shape, that consists of
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granulation tissue and scar, resulting in
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anterolateral fibular gutter impingement syndrome.
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Now let's take a look at the posterior
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ligaments and the sagittal projection if
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you have the time to see this next vignette.
Stephen J Pomeranz, MD
Chief Medical Officer, ProScan Imaging. Founder, MRI Online
ProScan Imaging
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