Total ankle replacement through a lateral approach: surgical tips

Federico Giuseppe Usuelli; Cristian Indino; Camilla Maccario; Luigi Manzi; Vincenzo Salini

doi:10.1051/sicotj/2016029

Total ankle replacement through a lateral approach: surgical tips

SICOT J. 2016:2:38. doi: 10.1051/sicotj/2016029. Epub 2016 Nov 18.

Authors

Federico Giuseppe Usuelli¹, Cristian Indino¹, Camilla Maccario², Luigi Manzi¹, Vincenzo Salini³

Affiliations

¹ CASCO, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, via Riccardo Galeazzi 4, 20161 Milan, Italy.
² CASCO, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, via Riccardo Galeazzi 4, 20161 Milan, Italy - Scuola di Specializzazione in Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Universita' degli Studi di Milano, Via della Commenda 10, 20122 Milan, Italy.
³ Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University G. dAnnunzio, Chieti Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy.

Abstract

Purpose: Recently, the Zimmer Trabecular Metal Total Ankle Replacement (Zimmer TM TAR) was developed to be used through a lateral transfibular approach. The purpose of this paper is to describe the surgical technique and early outcomes of the TAR via the lateral approach using the Zimmer TM TARs.

Methods: Sixty-seven patients underwent primary TAR using the Zimmer TM TAR between May 2013 and May 2015. Patients were clinically evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively at six and twelve months and annually using the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) questionnaire. The minimum follow-up was 12 months.

Results: The mean AOFAS hindfoot score increased from 32.8 preoperatively to 85.0 at the latest follow-up (p-value < 0.001). The mean VAS pain score decreased from 8.0 to 2.0 at the latest follow-up (p-value < 0.001). The Physical and Mental Health Composite Scale scores (PCS and MCS) of the SF-12 passed from a mean value of 30.2 preoperatively to 43.1 (p-value < 0.001) and from a mean value of 44.6 to 53.5 at the latest follow-up (p-value < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions: We present our surgical tips and the early results of this prosthetic design which are encouraging. They could be useful as an adjunct to the manufacturer's surgical technique guidance for surgeons who utilize these implants.