Medium-term Outcomes of the Arthroscopic Brostrom Procedure: A Retrospective Analysis of 66 Patients

The arthroscopic Brostrom procedure is a minimally invasive technique that is a viable option surgeons have to treat patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CAI). Our hypothesis was that there will be a statistically significant difference in pre- and postoperative scores and that patient satisfaction scores remained consistent at a minimum of 5 years post-operatively. Pre-operative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle (AOFAS) hindfoot scores, visual analog scale (VAS), foot function index (FFI) were compared with post-operative scores. Karlsson-Peterson (KP) scores were assessed at the final follow up. Unpaired t-tests were performed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in AOFAS, VAS and FFI scores. Mean Pre-operative scores were (AOFAS) 51.8, (VAS)7.36, and (FFI) 83.5, respectively. At the 5-year mark, the postoperative scores were 88.9, 2.24, 18.4 respectively and 83.6, for the KP scores. Furthermore, we compared those patients with a BMI < 30 kg/m2 to those with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. This comparison showed no statistically significant post-operative difference between groups at 5 years. The aim of the study was to determine the longevity of the procedure based on 5-year outcomes scores comparing preoperative and 5+-year AOFAS, VAS, and FFI scores. We found that there was a significant difference in all scores which suggests that this repair provides adequate relief of pain and improved outcomes at 5-years.