Isolated medial incisional approach to subtalar and talonavicular arthrodesis

Triple arthrodesis is commonly used to correct complex deformity with hindfoot valgus. The authors use an isolated medial incisional approach for subtalar and talonavicular joint arthrodesis to correct hindfoot deformity, including high degrees of hindfoot valgus. To assess outcomes achieved with this approach, we reviewed the records of 45 patients from the practices of 5 surgeons. Independent variables evaluated included patient age, primary pathology, use of biologic agents, operative time, time to union, and complications. The median patient age was 57 years (range, 14-78 years). Pathology leading to fusion included 27 (60%) posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, 6 (13.3%) tarsal coalition, 7 (5.5%) degenerative joint disease, 2 (4.4%) rheumatoid arthritis, and 1 (2.2%) each, with Charcot neuroarthropathy, multiple sclerosis, and poliomyelitis. Orthobiological materials were used in 27 (60.0%) of the patients. The median duration of surgery was 87 minutes (range, 65-164 minutes), and the median time to successful arthrodesis was 8 weeks (range, 6-20 weeks). A complication was observed in 6 (13.3%) of the patients, including 1 each of the following: painful calcaneal-cuboid joint, talar fracture, incision dehiscence, poor exposure that required abandonment of the procedure, elevated first ray, and painful fixation. None of the patients experienced a nonunion or an adverse event related to the medial neurovascular structures. Based on our experience with the procedure, the single medial-incision subtalar and talonavicular joint arthrodesis is a useful alternative to triple arthrodesis for the correction of hindfoot valgus deformity.