Clinical Outcomes of the Modified Broström Technique in the Management of Chronic Ankle Instability After Early, Intermediate, and Delayed Presentation

The modified Broström technique (MBT) is considered the reference standard for surgical management of ankle instability, with good short-term outcomes. However, limited evidence is available regarding outcomes for delayed presentations of instability. We report our outcomes for patients who underwent ligament repair using the MBT, from a single-surgeon retrospective study of consecutive patients. The minimum postoperative follow-up period was 6 months during a 5-year study period. The patients were retrospectively divided into 3 groups according to the delay in presentation: group 1, 6 months to 2 years; group 2, 2 to 4 years; and group 3, >4 years. We collected data on patient demographics, injury pattern, and intraoperative surgeon findings. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale (AHS) was used to evaluate patient outcomes and satisfaction with surgery. Twenty-six patients were treated with MBT. The mean follow-up period was 36.9 (range 6-42) months. Twenty-five (96.2%) patients had unilateral injuries, and 1 (3.85%) had bilateral repairs. Of the 26 patients, 21 (80.8%) completed the AOFAS-AHS, with a mean score of 87.4 (range 12 to 100). The mean interval from injury to surgery was 47.9 months. The results were excellent in 15 (71.4%), good in 3 (14.3%), fair in 1 (4.8%), and poor in 2 (9.5%) using the AOFAS-AHS. We found no significant difference in the overall AOFAS-AHS score or postoperative satisfaction among the groups (p > .05). All patients had a stable ankle joint at their final follow-up visit. In conclusion, patients with persistent or chronic ankle instability have good clinical outcomes and satisfaction after the MBT, irrespective of the time from injury to presentation.