VALGUS STRESS RADIOGRAPHY IN NORMAL ANKLES

Deltoid ligament injury is thought to be rare. Signs of complete ruptu re of the deltoid ligament may be subtle or interpreted as another inj ury condition and thus are often missed acutely. No standardized metho d has been created to evaluate medial ligament insufficiency in acute or chronic laxity. To establish a diagnostic test for suspected isolat ed ruptures of the deltoid ligament, 32 subjects with no previous ankl e injury underwent valgus stress radiography and nonstressed radiograp hy of both ankles. Stress radiography in this study showed that there is a measurable but minimal range of talar tilt on valgus stress in pr eviously uninjured ankles. This study provides the basis for diagnosis of the rare isolated rupture of the deltoid ligament of the ankle.