Ankle Arthrodesis

Ankle arthrodesis is a common and standard treatment for patients with end-stage ankle arthritis. The surgical goals of ankle arthrodesis are to obtain bony union between the tibia and talus with adequate alignment, and provide a pain-free plantigrade foot for weightbearing activities. To achieve successful fusion, the surgeon should closely examine the patient's factors before surgery, particularly the following: adjacent arthritis and deformity, infection, avascular necrosis of talus, Charcot arthropathy, and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, ankle arthroplasty has been reported to provide satisfactory clinical results. On the other hand, long-term follow-up results are still lacking, and considering the various complications of arthroplasty, ankle arthrodesis is still the primary surgical treatment for advanced arthritis of the ankle joint.