Knee Arthrodesis Wheeless

Description: See: Arthrodesis following TKR:
- PreOp Planning for Arthrodesis:
- Discussion:
- arthrodesis provides potential of a painless, stable base of support but it does so at the expense of knee motion;
- optimal position of arthrodesis:
- slight valgus, 10 deg of external rotation, and 0-20 deg of flexion (knees that have been shortened due to previous arthroplasty should be fused in full extension);
- valgus alignment with slight flexion easier to obtain with an external fixator than w/ IM nail;
- IM nails tend to cause 2-5 deg of varus;
- note that if future total knee replacement is a consideration (fusion takedown and arthroplasty) then it is important that the patella not be included in the fusion;
Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics