Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach
Published on: January 24, 2018
Reoperation Rates Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty Versus Ankle Arthrodesis for Posttraumatic Indications
Bailey J Ross1, Ian Savage-Elliott1, Victor J Wu2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Aims:
This studied aimed to compare rates of reoperation for patients who received primary ankle arthrodesis (AA) versus total ankle replacement (TAR) for posttraumatic indications between 2010 and 2016 Q2 using a nationwide claims database.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study analyzing patients who received primary AA or TAR for posttraumatic indications was performed using PearlDiver. Reoperations assessed included prosthetic joint infection (PJI), hardware removal, adjacent joint fusion, and local open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare rates of reoperations at 1 and 2 years postdischarge.
Results:
A total of 862 (74%) patients received AA and 318 (26%) patients underwent TAR for a posttraumatic indication. At 1 year, 305 (35.4%) AA patients had at least 1 reoperation compared with 55 (17.3%) TAR patients (OR 2.32; 95% CI, 1.68-3.26). At 2 years, 364 (42.2%) AA patients and 66 (20.8%) TAR patients had at least 1 reoperation (OR 2.51; 95% CI, 1.84-3.45). ORIF, hardware removal, and adjacent joint fusions were more likely for AA patients at both time intervals (all Ps < .05).
Conclusion:
Patients who received primary AA for posttraumatic indications exhibited higher rates of major reoperations in the short to medium term compared with patients who underwent TAR.
Levels Of Evidence:
Level III: Retrospective cohort study.
