Knee arthrodesis

Thorough excision of all scarred and infected tissues with careful contouring of the bone ends to ensure adequate bone apposition should be performed. Cancellous bone grafts placed about the periphery of the arthrodesis should be considered in the case of loss of bone stock to improve the surfaces for bone apposition. Rigid biplanar external fixation should be used to obtain a compression arthrodesis combined with prolonged immobilization. Unfortunately, some patients will require permanent bracing.