[Implantation of a Salto 2 total ankle prosthesis]

Operative treatment of advanced primary and secondary arthritis of the ankle was carried out with the aim of achieving pain-free movement and retention of mobility.

Surgery is indicated when conservative therapy is no longer sufficient for treatment of arthritis of the ankle with painful limited movement, sufficient bony joint conditions and correctable instability or axis malpositioning.

Surgery is not recommended with general surgical or anesthesiological contraindications, rampant infections, severe disturbances of peripheral perfusion, bony defects in areas relevant for anchoring, unstable soft tissue conditions, talus necrosis >30 %, manifest osteoporosis and severe non-correctable instability or malpositioning.

Tibial and talar bone resection was carried out via ventral access to the ankle through an incision and if present, soft tissue correction of instability after insertion of test components. Cement-free implantation of the original implants followed by subtle reconstruction of the extensor retinaculum and layer for layer closure of the wound.

Additional measures were necessary on the periarticular soft tissues, the hindfoot and lower leg due to movement restrictions, instability and axis malpositioning which could be carried out in a one or two stage procedure depending on the extent and morphology.

Between February 2009 and February 2010 a total of 115 patients (52 % with posttraumatic arthritis) received a cement-free implantation with a Salto 2 prosthesis. Additional corrective interventions were carried out in the presence of varus and valgus deformities. The degree of movement for dorsal extension and plantar flexion could be increased by an average of 8.3°. The interventions resulted in a significant reduction in pain from an average preoperative visual analogue pain scale (VAS) score of 7.8 (range 5-10) to an average postoperative score of 1.9 (range 0-6.1).