Long-Term Results Following Ankle Arthrodesis for Post-Traumatic Arthritis

Description: The present series represents the longest follow-up study of ankle arthrodesis to date. Our cohort of patients all had isolated post-traumatic ankle arthritis, and each underwent a successful isolated ankle arthrodesis. At a mean of twenty-two years, the majority of the patients had substantial, and accelerated, arthritic changes in the ipsilateral foot but not the knee. They were often limited functionally by foot pain. Although ankle arthrodesis may provide good early relief of pain, it is associated with premature deterioration of other joints of the foot and eventual arthritis, pain, and dysfunction.
Lisa M. Coester, MD, Charles L. Saltzman, MD, John Leupold, MD and William Pontarelli, MD The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 83:219 (2001) Abstract only