Outcome of ankle arthrodesis using a transfibular approach

Variable union rates in ankle arthrodesis using different surgical techniques have been reported in the biomedical literature. However, the advantages of a transfibular approach with sagittal splitting of the fibula have not been widely reported, even though the technique is well known and even described in surgical textbooks. We analyzed outcomes in our practice for all patients who underwent ankle arthrodesis. Over a 5-year period, 2 surgeons using the same transfibular approach performed 26 ankle arthrodeses in 25 patients. The medical records and radiographs of the patients were reviewed for duration of hospital admission, time to union, and complications. All (100%) of the ankle fusions progressed to solid union in a mean postoperative duration of 4.5 ± 1.8 months (range, 2-10 months), and the only clinically significant complication involved 1 patient with suspected complex regional pain syndrome, who responded to treatment and recovered fully.