Complications after ankle and hindfoot arthroscopy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Procedures

Background:

• Ankle and hindfoot arthroscopy indications have expanded.
• This has potentially increased the risk of complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the complication rate of ankle and hindfoot arthroscopy at our institution.
• Compare these findings with existing literature.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 257 ankle and hindfoot arthroscopies (May 2008 - April 2013).
• Procedures included subtalar (23%) and ankle (77%) joint arthroscopy.
• Approaches were anterior (69%), posterior (26%), and combined (5%).

Main Results:

• Overall complication rate was 12.06% (31 complications).
• Most frequent complication: neurological damage (14 cases), particularly superficial peroneal nerve injury (8 cases).
• Other complications included persistent drainage (10 cases), infection (4 cases), and complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (3 cases).

Conclusions:

• The 12.06% complication rate is consistent with the literature range (0-17%).
• Neurological injury is the most common complication.
• Ankle and hindfoot arthroscopy is safe when meticulous technique, preoperative planning, and postoperative care are employed.