A literature review of the complications following anterior and posterior ankle arthroscopy

• Ankle arthroscopy is growing in popularity and is generally regarded as a safe procedure. • Complications from this procedure do exist and this paper highlights the frequency of these as reported in the literature. • Damage to the superficial peroneal nerve is the most common complication following anterior ankle arthroscopy. • Temporary Achilles tendon tightness is the most common complication following posterior ankle arthroscopy. There is a wealth of studies reporting the complications of anterior and posterior ankle arthroscopy. The aim of this study is to summarise and review the complication rate(s) associated with both anterior and posterior ankle arthroscopy, as described in the literature. The authors carried out a comprehensive review of the literature up until March 2018. An extensive search of the MEDLINE, Cochrane library and EMBASE databases was undertaken using the following keywords: complications of ankle arthroscopy, anterior ankle arthroscopy, and posterior ankle arthroscopy. A total of 107 papers were identified and 55 were deemed appropriate for analysis. The overall complication rate of ankle arthroscopy was found to be between 3.4– 9%. No life threatening complications were identified in the literature with both anterior and posterior ankle arthroscopy. The commonest complication after anterior and posterior ankle arthroscopy is superficial peroneal nerve injury and temporary Achilles tendon tightness, respectively.