Abstract
Between January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2017, an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon performed tibiotalar arthrodesis on 221 patients. Thirty-two were included in this study. Inclusion criteria included patients with at least one risk factor for nonunion and/or malunion, isolated anterior ankle arthrodesis with plate fixation, patients older than 18, and a minimum of 1-year follow-up. Risk factors were avascular necrosis of the talus, severe segmental bone defect, smoking, inflammatory arthropathy, coronal deformity greater than 15°, diabetes mellitus, septic nonunion, failed ankle arthrodesis, and body mass index greater than 35. Functional outcome questionnaires (Ankle Osteoarthritis Score [AOS] and Foot Function Index [FFI]) were collected at the latest visit or by phone. Twenty-six (26/32, 81.2%) patients included in the study had computed tomography images available for review at an average of 3.2 months after surgery. The rate of successful arthrodesis was 93.8% (30/32) at an average of 78 days. Overall, 14 patients (14/32, 43.8%) developed a postoperative complication, including 1 patient that had a delayed nonunion and 2 patients that proceeded to nonunion. Twenty-three patients (23/32, 71.9%) completed the functional outcome questionnaires at an average of 26.8 months. Mean AOS and FFI scores improved significantly postoperatively (P < .001). Sagittal tibiotalar and coronal tibiotalar alignment improved significantly in patients with severe preoperative deformity (P < .001). Tibiotalar arthrodesis with anterior plate fixation in a high-risk cohort results in high union rates and significantly improved functional outcomes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.