Role of diagnostic ultrasonography in assessment of different causes of ankle pain

Background Tolerating a broad variety of dynamic exertional stresses, the ankle is a complicated joint. The pain in the ankle has been caused by a number of different lesions. Anterior, medial, lateral, and posterior ankle injuries can typically be localized based on the location and quality of pain. Aim The current study’s objective was to assess the role of ultrasound in identifying different causes of ankle pain. Patients and methods Forty five patients (10 males and 35 females) participated in the present study. They were complaining from ankle pain and / or any discomfort at ankle region. Results Mechanical causes of ankle pain were the most detectable lesions with lateral ligamentous ankle lesions represented about half of such lesions (23/45; 51.2%). On the other hand, less than half of the studied cases (18/45; 40%) had inflammatory causes of ankle pain. In the current study the inflammatory causes of ankle pain were; gout (7/45; 15.6%), rheumatic arthritis (6/45, 13.4%), psoriasis(5/45; 11%), and degenerative causes (4/45; 8.8%). Conclusion Ultrasound is a rapid cheap modality of choice regarding screening of ankle tendinous and ligamentous injury to lesser degree bony and neural lesions and to differentiate between different causes of ankle pain.