[Late results of arthrodeses of the upper ankle joint]

Arthrodesis may be mandatory after destruction or painful arthrosis of the ankle joint. The time at which this should be performed, as well as the technique to be employed, are both judged differently by various writers. We used exclusively the fixateur externe for stabilisation with 44 arthrodeses of the ankle joint, since this ensures stability during exercise and partial load. The complications recorded were two aseptic necroses of the talus and dysostosis in two cases which required corrective surgery. The results obtained by use lead us to the following conclusions: More than one-half of the examined subjects wore the orthopaedic made-to-measure shoes for longer than one year compensating the leg shortening by an average of 1.0 cm. The intraoperatively attempted repositioning of the talus in relation to the axis of the tibia tended to have a rather negative effect in our patients. The at least equal long-term results of early and late arthrodeses indicate that early arthrodeses are preferable, seeing that 55.8% of the followed-up persons were able to resume their professional activities relatively quickly.