Clinical-radiological outcomes and complications after total ankle replacement through a lateral transfibular approach: a retrospective evaluation at a mid-term follow-up

Purpose Degenerative ankle arthropathy is a debilitating and increasingly widespread condition with worsening of quality of life. In last years, total ankle replacement has increased indications, thanks to advances in surgical technique, materials and design that provided new solutions for surgeons....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International orthopaedics 2021-02, Vol.45 (2), p.437-443
Main Authors: Mosca, Massimiliano, Caravelli, Silvio, Vocale, Emanuele, Maitan, Nicolò, Grassi, Alberto, Massimi, Simone, Fuiano, Mario, Zaffagnini, Stefano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Ankle Joint - diagnostic imaging
Ankle Joint - surgery
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Ankle - adverse effects
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Original Paper
Orthopedics
Quality of Life
Range of Motion, Articular
Retrospective Studies
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Purpose Degenerative ankle arthropathy is a debilitating and increasingly widespread condition with worsening of quality of life. In last years, total ankle replacement has increased indications, thanks to advances in surgical technique, materials and design that provided new solutions for surgeons. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of total ankle replacement (TAR), implanted using a trans-fibular lateral approach in patients with high-grade degenerative arthropathy, in terms of clinical, functional and radiological outcomes and possible complications. Methods This retrospective study included 73 patients, aged between 47 and 79 years (mean age 61.7 ± 14.2 years), who underwent trans-fibular total ankle arthroplasty. All patients were followed up for at least two years post-operatively with mean follow-up 31.2 ± 8.1 months and have been evaluated clinically and radiographically both pre-operatively and post-operatively. Results Patients demonstrated a significant improvement in average AOFAS score, SF-36 score and VAS scale. Average plantarflexion improved from 9.9° ± 4.2 to 18.4° ± 6.3 and dorsiflexion from pre-operative mean value of 6.8° ± 5.8 to 17.2° ± 3.1 post-operative. Complications recorded in our series were 16 (21.9%), specifically 2 major complications and 14 minor complications. Conclusions This study found that trans-fibular total ankle replacement is a safe and effective option for patients with ankle osteoarthritis, resulting in improvement of patient-reported outcomes, range of motion, and radiographic parameters. However, further studies are required to determine long-term performance of these implants.
ISSN:0341-2695
1432-5195
DOI:10.1007/s00264-020-04709-4