0ttawa Ankle Rules for the use of Radiography in Acute Ankle Injuries Black South African Patients

The Ottawa Ankle Rules are a quick and reliable method of selecting which patients presenting with ankle injuries need X-rays to exclude an ankle fracture. This study was undertaken to test the applicability of these Ottawa Ankle Rules to Black patients presenting at a South African casualty unit with an ankle injury. lt is concluded that applying these rules can significantly decrease the number of X-rays done on patients with ankle injuries. Application of the Rules was again found to be 100% sensitive for predicting medial and lateral malleolar fractures. In other words, no patient found not to need X-ray investigation by application of the rules will have a malleolar fracture.