Results of different methods of ankle arthrodesis in patients with osteoarthritis

Abstract

Introduction. Despite the large number of ankle arthrodesis operations performed, to date, no unified approaches to the algorithm for selecting surgical treatment tactics, orthopedic implants, and postoperative management of patients have been developed. The debate over the choice of surgical technique is still ongoing. Objective of the investigation — to carry out a comparative analysis of the treatment results of patients with posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle joint depending on the performed arthrodesis technique. Material and methods. 90 patients aged 30-65 years (mean age 52+6.2 years) with posttraumatic cirrhosis of stages III-IV (according to Kellgren & Lawrence) were under observation. The outcome of surgical treatment was assessed using the AOFAS scale. Depending on the tactics of surgical treatment, the patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) arthrodesis was  performed using arthroscopic technique, open operations with the Ilizarov apparatus and locking rods (retrospective, 62 patients); 2) arthrodesis was performed using advanced techniques and devices (prospective, 28 patients). Results and Discussion. Complete bone ankylosis was detected in 88,9% of cases depending on the choice of surgical technique. The use of modern methods of treatment resulted in the high percentage of good results — 92,8%. According to the literature, the use of effective modern fixators and arthrodesis methods enables to achieve 93% of good clinical results. Our data are comparable to the scientific sources. The use of an arthrodesis pin was especially effective (100% positive results). Conclusion. Taking into account the wider spread of minimally invasive techniques, further study of long-term results of treatment in patients treated with these techniques is required.