Ankle Fusion With a Retrograde Locked Intramedullary Nail

Patients with Charcot foot arthropathy are frequently morbidly obese, have regional osteopenia, and poor surgical hosts when correction of deformity is necessary. Tibiocalcaneal arthrodesis with a retrograde locked intramedullary nail has been shown to be an effective method of achieving a stable ankle arthrodesis. Periprosthetic fracture just proximal to ankle arthrodesis implants is a known associated morbidity. Use of a modified retrograde locked femoral nail that terminates in the proximal tibial methaphysis avoids the risk of periprosthetic fracture in this poor host population.