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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach
Published on: January 24, 2018
Fixed lateral unicompartmental knee replacement is a reliable treatment for lateral compartment osteoarthritis after
Joseph T Lazzara1, Lachlan W Arthur2, Cathy Jenkins3
1Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Purpose:
Lateral osteoarthritis following medial unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) is usually treated with total knee replacement, however, lateral UKR is a less invasive option that preserves a well-functioning medial UKR. This study aimed to determine the 5-year outcome of the cemented Fixed Lateral Oxford UKR (FLO) when used for the treatment of severe lateral disease after medial Oxford unicompartmental knee replacement.
Methods:
Forty-four knees with lateral bone-on-bone osteoarthritis (n = 43) and avascular necrosis (n = 1) treated with the FLO following medial Oxford UKR were followed up prospectively. The Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and Tegner Activity Score (TAS) were collected pre- and post-operatively. Life-table analysis was used to determine survival rates.
Results:
The mean patient age at the time of FLO surgery was 74.4 years with a mean time of 12.1 years between the primary medial UKR and the conversion to a bi-UKR with a FLO. Mean follow-up of the FLO was 3.5 years. After FLO no intra-operative or medical complications, re-admissions, or mortality occurred. There was one reoperation in which a bearing was exchanged for a medial bearing dislocation. There were no revisions of the FLO, so the FLO survival rate at 5 years was 100% (24 at risk). The mean pre-operative OKS was 22, which significantly (p < 0.0001) improved to a mean of 42, 42, and 40 at 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively. The median TAS had a non-significant improvement from 2.5 (Range 0-8) pre-operatively to 2 (Range 1-6) at 5 years postoperatively.
Conclusion:
The FLO is a reliable treatment for lateral osteoarthritis following medial UKR. At 5 years there was a 100% survival of the FLO with a mean OKS of 40.
Level Of Evidence:
IV, Prospective Case Series.
