Modified Brostrӧm Procedure With and Without Possible Arthroscopy for Lateral Ankle Instability

September 23, 2025 updated by: Edna Rath

A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Modified Brostrӧm Procedure With and Without Diagnostic Arthroscopy for Treatment of Lateral Ankle Instability

This study is to show that the investigators believe the Modified Brostrӧm Procedure (MBP) can be completed without a routine ankle arthroscopy. Routine ankle arthroscopy, if determined not to be necessary in all cases, is a waste of resources in terms of operating room, surgeon, and staff time as well causing an increase in hospital financial expenses. Most importantly, this procedure is morbid. Ankle arthroscopy forces a patient's foot into distraction for up to one hour, exposes the patient to potentially longer anesthesia exposure that is unnecessary, increases infectious risks, and requires exposure at the portal sites near superficial nerves.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Withdrawn

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this investigation is to determine if ankle arthroscopy is necessary in the treatment of routine ankle instability without evidence of intra-articular pathology on MRI. Our study population will include those individuals whose ankle MRI is inconclusive or negative for intra-articular pathologies, and intra-articular ankle pain is not a predominant presenting symptom. Although it is our current practice at WBAMC not to conduct an ankle arthroscopy on this group of patients, there is a debate in the literature on whether the arthroscopy should be conducted. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the MBP with and without ankle arthroscopy.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • El Paso, Texas, United States, 79920-5001
        • William Beaumont Army Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Able to independently consent for surgery
  2. Able to demonstrate an understanding of study procedures
  3. Adult patient 18 years of age or older
  4. All active duty soldiers, Veterans, dependents
  5. Ability to comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study
  6. Presence of lateral ankle instability meeting operative criteria listed in 6.2.1 with documented failed conservative measures such as: physical therapy, ankle braces, and rest

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unable to obtain medical clearance for surgery
  2. Recent (1 month) febrile illness that precludes or delays participation
  3. History of or suspected of drug/alcohol abuse, as these patients may not be compliant with physical therapy. All patients are required to be immobilized for 6 weeks after surgery
  4. Pregnant women, this is an elective procedure and a MBP or ankle arthroscopy is not typically offered to pregnant women. Screening for pregnancy is done as part of standard of care

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: MBP plus ankle arthroscopy (Group A)
Group A will receive a diagnostic ankle arthroscopy followed by the Modified Brostrӧm Procedure (MBP). In the ankle arthroscopy, multiple pictures are taken inside of the joint to note possible pathologic processes (for example - osteochondral lesions of the talus). Ankle arthroscopy involves one incision in the middle of the ankle anteriomedial (middle) incision and one incision on the outside of the ankle. Each incision (a small cut in the skin) is roughly 5mm in length (which is about 0.2 inches). After the incision is made, the participant will receive a diagnostic ankle arthroscopy.If the surgeon detects an abnormality inside the joint, he will operate on the abnormality with the arthroscope according to the generally accepted principles for treating the abnormality.
Procedure: MBP plus arthroscopy (Group A)
Sham Comparator: MBP alone (Group B)
Group B will receive sham skin incisions on the ankle a Modified Brostrӧm Procedure (MBP) alone (that is, there will be no diagnostic ankle arthroscopy) followed by the Modified Brostrӧm Procedure (MBP). If a participant is assigned to Group B, the participant will receive two small superficial skin incisions at the sites where the investigators would normally insert instruments for the ankle arthroscopy. As with Group A, there will be one anteriomedial (middle) incision on the middle of the ankle and one anteriolateral (side) incision to on the outside of the ankle. Each incision will be roughly 5mm in length and 5 mm in depth, but will not violate subcutaneous tissue. The width of these incisions will be the width of the blade, at 1mm. However, unlike Group A, the participants in Group B will not have any instruments inserted into their ankle and will not have any operation to repair or remove damaged tissue.
Procedure: MBP alone (Group B)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Talar Tilt Exam
Time Frame: Changes in Talar Tilt Exam scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
the angle formed by the tibial plafond and talar dome is measured as inversion force is applied to the hindfoot at 10-20 degrees of plantarflexion. A tilt of 0-23 degrees is considered normal though most ankles measure 0-5 degrees.
Changes in Talar Tilt Exam scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
Anterior Drawer Exam
Time Frame: Changes in Anterior Drawer Exam scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
a test in which a patient is seated with the knee flexed, and the tibia is fixed with one hand while the ankle is grasped with the other hand, plantarflexed 10 degrees, and the talus is translated anteriorly under fluoroscopy. The degree of translation in mm is measured. To put this in perspective, a translation of >8mm is considered diagnostic for an anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) tear.
Changes in Anterior Drawer Exam scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
Visual Analog Scale
Time Frame: Changes in Visual Analog Scale scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
a psychometric response scale in which a patient indicates their agreement with a statement along a continuous line. In our case, we will record how satisfied the patient is with their outcome/present post-operative state on a scale of 1-100.
Changes in Visual Analog Scale scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
Time Frame: Changes in American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)
Hindfoot Score is a subjective outcome scale evaluating pain, function, and alignment
Changes in American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scores from initial pre-op through the end of study. (Pre- Operative, Day of Surgery, Post-Op Month 3, Post Op Month 6, Post Op Month 12, Post Op Month 24)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Edna Rath

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: MAJ Justin D Orr, MD, MC, USA, Program Director

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2018

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 28, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2015

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 12, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 23, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 404631-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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