Are Our Expectations Bigger than the Results We Achieve? A Comparative Study Analyzing Potential Advantages of Ankle Arthroplasty Over Arthrodesis
A recent study has concluded that patients who undergo total ankle arthroplasty (TAR) experience only minor functional improvements compared to those treated with ankle arthrodesis (AAD). The study involved 101 patients who underwent TAR and 40 who were treated with screw arthrodeses whose gaits and outcomes were analyzed and assessed during a follow-up exam. The study found that patients who were treated with TAR experienced significant improvements in pain compared to patients who underwent AAD, although patients in the TAR group experienced limited functional gains. Both procedures resulted in significant asymmetry in gait, reduced range of motion compared to normal, and improvements in outcomes as assessed by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot score and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) questionnaire. Finally, the study found that both procedures resulted in the same amount of adjacent joint degeneration.
From the article of the same title
International Orthopaedics (07/01/14) Braito, Matthias; Dammerer, Dietmar; Kaufmann, Gerhard; et al.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00264-014-2428-5
via This Week @ ACFAS.