Abstract
Atraumatic osteonecrosis of the ankle can be severely debilitating and can lead to
joint collapse. A relatively new technique of percutaneous drilling has previously
been used to relieve the symptoms of osteonecrotic hips and knees. The purpose of
the present study was to examine the results of this technique when used to treat
osteonecrosis of the ankle. Between September 2002 and June 2005, the senior author
(M.A.M.) treated and prospectively followed 44 symptomatic osteonecrotic ankles (31
patients) using this drilling technique. The series included 23 (74.2%) women and
8 (25.8%) men with a mean age of 43 ± 11 years. Arthrodesis had been recommended for
14 (45.2%) of these patients (20 [45.5%] ankles). At a mean follow-up duration of
45 ± 12 months, 40 (91%) ankles had achieved a successful clinical outcome. The mean
American Orthopaedic Society of Foot and Ankle Society Ankle and Hindfoot score increased
from 42 ± 5 points preoperatively to 88 ± 10 points postoperatively, and this difference
was statistically significant (P < .0001). There were no perioperative complications, although 3 ankles subsequently
collapsed and required arthrodesis. The percutaneous drilling technique appears to
be a useful method for the relief of symptomatic ankle osteonecrosis.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: One author (M.A.M.) is a consultant for Stryker Orthopaedics and Wright Medical Technology. The other authors have no real or perceived conflicts of interest.
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Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
