Anatomical Characteristics of the Anterior Talofibular Ligament in Ankle Joint of Korean Population

The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) plays a role to stabilize ankle joint and prevent ankle sprain by limiting the motion range of ankle joint. The aim of this study was to classify the shapes of the ATFL according to the shape and type of bands. For this study, formalin-fixed 42 Korean cadavers were used and 74 feet were dissected (49 males and 25 females / 38 right, 36 left). The average age was 77 years old. The number of bands in the ATFL was counted according to Kakegawa et al. The location of the attachment area of ATFL was determined. It’s length and width were also measured. All of them were measured in prone position, and in neutral position of ankle. The statis tical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0 software (SPSS, Chicago, IL). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the mean and standard deviation, and independent T-tests were used to identify differences according to gender, left and right, and type of ATFL. As a result, type 1 and type 2 in the ATFL accounted for 48.6% and 51.4% of feet respec tively. The length of the ATFL was 20.6±2.4 mm, the width of the proximal attachment was 13.7±3.4 mm, the mid-point was 12.9±3.5 mm, and the distal attachment was 13.0±3.4 mm. Type 2 was wider than type 1 (p<.001), type 1 was longer than type 2 (p<.05), and male ATFL was longer than female (p<.05). In conclusion, the morph ological characteristics of ATFL in Koreans were different from other ethnic group. The continuous accumu lation of morphological data on ATFL will offer the basic data of Korean anthropological characteristics, and it will be help ful for understanding the anatomical structure of the ankle, as well as for the diagnosis and treatment of ankle disease.