Three cases of congenital bilateral ball and socket ankle joints in the same family – a case series

Abstract

A 40-year-old lady presented with a 10-year-history of left ankle and foot pain. Clinically the pain was thought to be due to instability of the lateral ligament complex. Bilateral ankle radiographs showed a ball and socket ankle joints. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan of the left ankle in addition showed a chronic tear of the lateral ankle ligaments and subluxation of the peroneal tendons. Subsequently, she underwent an examination under anaesthesia of the left ankle which demonstrated no significant difference in stability between the two sides. Interestingly, because of the daughter’s peculiar ankle radiograph appearances, her mother’s and son's radiographs of the ankle were reviewed and they also showed similar appearance of bilateral ball and socket joints, favouring congenital aetiology.