J Korean Foot Ankle Soc.  2018 Mar;22(1):1-7. 10.14193/jkfas.2018.22.1.1.

Ankle Arthrodesis

• Chun DI
• Won SH

• KMID: 2407368
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14193/jkfas.2018.22.1.1

Abstract

Ankle arthrodesis is a common and standard treatment for patients with end-stage ankle arthritis. The surgical goals of ankle arthrodesis are to obtain bony union between the tibia and talus with adequate alignment, and provide a pain-free plantigrade foot for weightbearing activities. To achieve successful fusion, the surgeon should closely examine the patient's factors before surgery, particularly the following: adjacent arthritis and deformity, infection, avascular necrosis of talus, Charcot arthropathy, and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, ankle arthroplasty has been reported to provide satisfactory clinical results. On the other hand, long-term follow-up results are still lacking, and considering the various complications of arthroplasty, ankle arthrodesis is still the primary surgical treatment for advanced arthritis of the ankle joint.

Keyword

Ankle; Arthrodesis

MeSH Terms

Ankle Joint
Ankle*
Arthritis
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
Arthrodesis*
Arthroplasty
Congenital Abnormalities
Follow-Up Studies
Foot
Hand
Humans
Necrosis
Talus
Tibia
Weight-Bearing

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 An ankle arthrodesis was done using three 6.5 mm cannullated screws fixation. An ankle arthrodesis with three screws has greater mechanical strength than two screws. (A) Lateral view. (B) Anteroposterior view.

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  Figure 2 This picture shows the anterior approach. The distal tibia and ankle mortise can be completely exposed and the talus can be exposed to the neck, making it very easy to perform the technique on the fixation surface.

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  Figure 3 This picture shows the lateral transfibular approach. This approach is the most commonly used method for ankle arthrodesis.

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  Figure 4 This picture shows the arthroscopic view of the Kirschner wires. The advantage of this technique are that small incisions are possible, minimizing the risk of skin scarring, wounds, and postoperative infection, and preserving the distal fibula to preserve the peroneal artery.

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