Hindfoot endoscopy for posterior ankle impingement syndrome and flexor hallucis longus tendon disorders

Abstract

Hindfoot endoscopic surgery is an alternative to conventional open surgery for treatment of posterior ankle pain. This procedure can be applied not only for accurate diagnosis under direct visualization but also for low-invasive therapy. Common indications for hindfoot endoscopy are posterior ankle impingement syndrome and damaged soft tissue. Several studies have reported good clinical outcomes of hindfoot endoscopy with lower complication rates than in the conventional open procedure. Nerve injury remains a common complication. To avoid such injury, make a posterolateral portal just lateral to the Achilles tendon and perform the hindfoot endoscopic procedure in the region lateral to the flexor hallucis longus tendon.

Keywords: Endoscopic surgery; Flexor hallucis longus; Hindfoot endoscopy; Os trigonum; Posterior ankle impingement syndrome; Stieda process.