Ankle Arthrodesis Using an Anterior Titanium Dual Locked Plating Construct.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Musculoskeletal Research

Background:

• End-stage tibiotalar arthrosis necessitates surgical intervention.
• Ankle arthrodesis is the gold standard, but fusion rates vary.
• Optimizing fusion rates and patient outcomes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of anterior ankle arthrodesis with dual locked plating.
• To assess fusion rates, time to fusion, pain relief, and complications.
• To determine the suitability of this technique for end-stage ankle arthritis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 60 consecutive anterior ankle arthrodesis cases.
• Utilized an anterior dual locked plating construct.
• Patient follow-up averaged 1.1 years, assessing fusion, pain (Visual Analog Scale), and complications.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 97% fusion rate in cases not requiring structural allograft.
• Mean time to fusion was 11.7 weeks (excluding allograft cases).
• Mean Visual Analog Scale pain scores decreased from 7 to 2 postoperatively.

Conclusions:

• Anterior ankle arthrodesis with dual locked plating demonstrates high fusion rates.
• The procedure provides significant pain relief and has a low complication rate.
• This technique is effective for treating end-stage tibiotalar arthrosis.