Evans' Repair of Lateral Instability of the Ankle Joint

A follow-up study is presented of 26 ankle joints with recurrent lateral instability, treated with surgical repair by the Evans method. The median follow-up period was 3.1 (range 1.1-6.9) years. Normal stability was achieved in 73 per cent of the ankles, and another 12 per cent were improved. Similar results are obtained with other methods of surgical repair. Preoperatively 82 per cent of the joints had a positive anterior drawer symptom. This was only found in 12 per cent postoperatively, and these ankles were all classified as having poor results, indicating the importance of reconstruction of the anterior talofibular ligament.