Arthroscopic versus open ankle arthrodesis: a multicenter comparative case series

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Arthroscopy
• Arthrodesis

Background:

• Ankle arthritis significantly impacts patient pain and function.
• Arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis is increasingly favored over open procedures due to reported benefits.
• High-quality prospective data comparing these techniques is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the outcomes of open versus arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis.
• To evaluate patient pain, function, and hospital stay following both procedures.

Main Methods:

• A comparative case series involving 60 patients (30 open, 30 arthroscopic) across two institutions.
• Two-year follow-up period.
• Primary outcome: Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale score. Secondary outcomes: SF-36 scores, hospital stay, radiographic alignment.

Main Results:

• Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale and SF-36 physical component scores at one and two years.
• The arthroscopic group showed significantly greater improvement in Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale scores at both time points.
• The arthroscopic group experienced a shorter hospital stay, with similar complications, surgical time, and radiographic alignment compared to the open group.

Conclusions:

• Both open and arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis effectively improve pain and function in end-stage ankle arthritis.
• Arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis demonstrates superior outcomes at one and two years post-surgery and leads to a shorter hospital stay.