Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach
Published on: January 24, 2018
Arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis using grafts grants higher union rates and faster time to union: systematic review
Matthieu Lalevee1,2, Camille Rodaix3, Floris Van Rooij4
1CETAPS UR3832, Research Center for Sports and Athletic Activities Transformations, University of Rouen Normandy, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
Purpose:
To compare the outcomes of open vs arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis using grafts in terms of union rate and time to union.
Methods:
The authors conducted a structured electronic literature search using MEDLINE and Embase. This review included prospective and retrospective comparative clinical studies comparing union rates following primary isolated subtalar arthrodesis, using biological adjuvants, which had a follow-up ≥6 months.
Results:
The systematic search returned 929 records, of which 119 were duplicates, leaving 810 for screening. A total of 781 studies were excluded by examining their titles and/or abstracts, and a further 17 studies were excluded after full-text review. This left 12 eligible studies. The pooled union rate was significantly higher following arthroscopic surgery (100%; CI: 0.98-1.00; I 2: 0%) compared to open surgery (93%; CI: 0.89-0.95; I 2: 0%). The pooled time to union was significantly faster following arthroscopic surgery (12.2 weeks; CI: 12.0-12.5; I 2: 0%) compared to open surgery (13.8 weeks; CI: 13.4-14.2; I 2: 21%). There was no difference between arthroscopic and open arthrodesis for postoperative AOFAS and complications.
Conclusion:
Compared to open subtalar arthrodesis, arthroscopic treatment resulted in significantly higher union rates (93 vs 100%) and faster time to union (13.5 vs 12.0 weeks), while there were no differences between postoperative AOFAS (75.7 vs 73.8) and complication rates (14 vs 7%).
