Abstract
Total extrusion of the talus is an unusual injury, and the obvious risks of reimplantation
of the extruded bone include infection and avascular necrosis. In this article, the
authors present the case of a 34-year-old man who sustained an open ankle injury with
complete extrusion of the talus. The talus was recovered at the scene of the accident,
and subsequently reimplanted along with ankle stabilization with pins and an external
fixator. At 6 weeks following the osseous surgery, final soft tissue reconstruction
with a suralis flap was performed. At 3 years after the injury, radiographs revealed
spontaneous fusion of the tibiotalar and subtalar joints, and the clinical examination
and history indicated satisfactory weight-bearing function of the involved foot and
ankle. The definitive treatment of this serious lower extremity injury remains controversial,
and the use of large allogeneic bone grafts, vascularized bone grafts, and tibiocalcaneal
fusion, as well as reimplantation of the extruded talus have been recommended.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 16, 2009
Footnotes
Financial Support: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
