Posterior intermalleolar ligament of the ankle: normal anatomy and MR imaging features

Abstract

Objective: The purposes of this study were to delineate the normal anatomy and MR imaging features of the posterior intermalleolar ligament--a normal ligamentous variant of the posterior portion of the ankle--and to identify normal anatomic characteristics that may account for the role of the ligament in the development of posterior impingement syndrome.

Materials and methods: The prevalence, size, and shape of the posterior intermalleolar ligament were documented in 36 cadaveric ankles and in 97 MR studies of the ankle in patients with and without symptoms.

Results: The posterior intermalleolar ligament was identified in 20 (56%) of the 36 cadaveric feet. It was 1-8 mm wide, and its diameter (anterior to posterior) was 5-8 mm. The ligament often resembled a meniscus, and in one case its anterior lip herniated into the ankle joint. The posterior intermalleolar ligament was detected in 18 (19%) of the 97 MR studies of the ankle. It was visualized on coronal T1- or T2-weighted images as a distinct, hypointense band traversing between the posterior talofibular ligament and the inferior transverse ligament.

Conclusion: The posterior intermalleolar ligament is a normal variant of the posterior ligaments of the ankle and is present in a significant number of persons. It is best seen on coronal T1- and T2-weighted MR images. Its meniscuslike shape and occasional extension into the ankle joint may account for the development of posterior impingement syndrome in susceptible persons.