Deltoid ligament of the ankle

Last revised by Doaa Faris Jabaz on 19 Oct 2023

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Weerakkody Y, Jabaz D, Yap J, et al. Deltoid ligament of the ankle. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 28 Nov 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-22829

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-22829

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/22829

rID:

22829

Article created:

26 Apr 2013, Yuranga Weerakkody ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.

View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures

Last revised:

19 Oct 2023, Doaa Faris Jabaz

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Doaa Faris Jabaz had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Doaa Faris Jabaz's current disclosures

Revisions:

23 times, by 15 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Musculoskeletal

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

cases

Synonyms:

Deltoid ligament of the ankle
Medial collateral ligament of the ankle
Deltoid ligament

The complex of the medial collateral ligaments of the ankle joint is collectively called deltoid ligament. It attaches the medial malleolus to multiple tarsal bones.

Gross anatomy

The ligament is composed of two layers. The superficial layer has variable attachments and crosses two joints while the deep layer has talar attachments and crosses one joint:

It is a strong triangular band attached to the apex and the anterior and posterior borders of the medial malleolus. The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament can be considered part of the medial ligament complex.

superficial layer: from anterior to posterior
- tibionavicular ligament (anterior)
  - pass forwards to the navicular tuberosity behind which they blend with the medial margin of the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament
- tibiospring ligament
  - descends vertically and blends with the fibers of the spring ligament
- tibiocalcaneal ligament (intermediate)
  - descend almost vertically to the entire length of the sustentaculum tali
- superficial posterior tibiotalar ligament (posterior)
  - pass posterolateral to the medial side of the talus and its medial tubercle
deep layer: this layer is intra-articular and is covered by synovium
- anterior tibiotalar ligament (ATTL)
  - short and thin ligament, pass from the tip of the medial malleolus to the non-articular part of the medial talar surface
  - crossed by the tendons of the tibialis posterior and flexor digitorum longus
- deep posterior tibiotalar ligament (DPTTL)
  - large and strong ligament from the medial malleolus to the talus
  - covered by the superficial posterior tibiotalar and tibiocalcaneal ligaments