Which ankle radiographic view best demonstrates the ankle mortise joint?

Which ankle radiographic view best demonstrates the ankle mortise joint?

• A. Mortise view
• B. AP view
• C. Lateral view
• D. Oblique view

Answer: (A)

The main idea is to open and clearly display the ankle mortise so you can assess the tibia, fibula, and talus alignment and the joint space. The mortise view achieves this by positioning the foot in internal rotation (about 15–20 degrees) so that the talus sits snugly between the tibial and fibular malleoli in true AP projection. This minimizes bony overlap and lets you see the medial clear space and the congruence of the ankle mortise. It’s the best single radiographic view for evaluating the integrity of the mortise joint and detecting subtle injuries to the syndesmosis or deltoid ligament that might widen the medial clear space. Other views can show different aspects—the AP view has more overlap of the bones, the lateral view highlights the sagittal relationships of the talus and tibia, and the oblique view isn’t standardized for opening the mortise—but none visualizes the mortise as reliably as the dedicated mortise view.

The main idea is to open and clearly display the ankle mortise so you can assess the tibia, fibula, and talus alignment and the joint space. The mortise view achieves this by positioning the foot in internal rotation (about 15–20 degrees) so that the talus sits snugly between the tibial and fibular malleoli in true AP projection. This minimizes bony overlap and lets you see the medial clear space and the congruence of the ankle mortise. It’s the best single radiographic view for evaluating the integrity of the mortise joint and detecting subtle injuries to the syndesmosis or deltoid ligament that might widen the medial clear space. Other views can show different aspects—the AP view has more overlap of the bones, the lateral view highlights the sagittal relationships of the talus and tibia, and the oblique view isn’t standardized for opening the mortise—but none visualizes the mortise as reliably as the dedicated mortise view.