Abstract
While adjacent joint arthritis is a recognized long-term downside of primary tibiotalar
arthrodesis (TTA), few studies have identified risk factors for early subtalar arthrodesis
(STA) after TTA. This study aims to identify the risk factors for STA within the first
few years following TTA. All patients older than 18 years undergoing TTA between 2008
and 2016 were identified retrospectively. Demographic data and comorbidities were
collected alongside prior operative procedures, postoperative complications, and subsequent
STA. Pre-and postoperative Kellgren-Lawrence osteoarthritis grade of the subtalar
joint and postoperative radiographic alignment were obtained. A total of 240 patients
who underwent primary TTA were included in this study with median follow up of 13.8
months. Twenty patients (8.3%) underwent STA after TTA due to symptomatic nonunion
of TTA in 13 (65%), progression of symptomatic subtalar osteoarthritis (OA) in 4 (20%),
and symptomatic nonunion of primary TTA combined progressively symptomatic subtalar
OA in 2 (10%). Preoperative radiographic subtalar OA severity and postoperative radiographic
alignment were not correlated with subsequent STA. Diabetes mellitus, Charcot arthropathy,
neuropathy, alcohol use, substance use disorder, and psychiatric disease were significantly
associated with having a subsequent STA. The most common postoperative contributing
factor for subsequent STA following primary TTA was the salvage of symptomatic ankle
nonunion rather than subtalar joint disease. Patients considering an ankle fusion
should be counseled of the risk of subsequent STA, especially if they have risk factors
that include diabetes, Charcot arthropathy, neuropathy, alcohol use, substance use
disorder, or psychiatric disease.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The Journal of Foot and Ankle SurgeryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- What's new in foot and ankle surgery.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016; 18: 874-880
- Compensatory motion of the subtalar joint following tibiotalar arthrodesis: an in vivo dual-fluoroscopy imaging study.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020; 102: 600-608
- Preliminary experience with SPECT/CT to evaluate periarticular arthritis progression and the relationship with clinical outcome following ankle arthrodesis.Foot Ankle Int. 2020; 41: 392-397
- Long-term results following ankle arthrodesis for post-traumatic arthritis.J Bone Jt Surg - Ser A. 2001; 83: 219-228
- Revision tibiotalar arthrodesis.J Bone Jt Surg - Ser A. 2008; 90: 1212-1223
- Midterm outcome of subtalar joint revision arthrodesis.Foot Ankle Int. 2021; 42: 824-832
- Analysis of risk factors for failure of arthroscopic ankle fusion in a series of 52 ankles.Foot Ankle Surg. 2016; 22: 91-96
- Atlas of radiographic features of osteoarthritis of the ankle and hindfoot.Osteoarthrits Cartilage. 2015; 23: 2059-2085
- Reliability of hindfoot alignment measurements from standard radiographs using the methods of Meary and Saltzman.Foot Ankle Surg. 2019; 25: 237-241
- Radiologic analysis of hindfoot alignment: comparison of Méary, long axial, and hindfoot alignment views.Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2017; 103: 1211-1216
- Functional outcomes after ankle arthrodesis in elderly patients.Foot Ankle Int. 2012; 33: 699-703
- Total ankle arthroplasty versus ankle arthrodesis: a comparative analysis of arc of movement and functional outcomes.Bone Jt J. 2016; 98: 634-640
- Trends in complication rates following ankle arthrodesis and total ankle replacement.J Bone Jt Surg - Am Vol. 2016; 98: 1453-1458
- Tibiotalar nonunion corrected by hindfoot arthrodesis.Foot Ankle Spec. 2010; 3: 76-79
- Outcome of ankle arthrodesis in posttraumatic arthritis.Indian J Orthop. 2012; 46: 317-320
- Gait analysis and functional outcomes following ankle arthrodesis for isolated ankle arthritis.J Bone Jt Surg - Ser A. 2006; 88: 526-535
- Subtalar fusion rate in patients with previous ipsilateral ankle arthrodesis.Foot Ankle Int. 2015; 36: 1025-1028
- Hybrid fixation for ankle fusion in diabetic charcot arthropathy.Foot Ankle Int. 2018; 39: 93-98
- Ankle fusion in a high risk population: an assessment of nonunion risk factors.Foot Ankle Int. 1999; 20: 491-496
- Smoking and alcohol drinking and risk of non-union or delayed union after fractures: a protocol for systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Medicine (Baltimore). 2020; 99: e18744
- Effects of antipsychotics on bone mineral density in patients with schizophrenia: gender differences.Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2016; 14: 238-249
- Failure of treatment of ununited fractures of the carpal scaphoid. The role of non-compliance.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1983; 65: 985-991
- Secondary subtalar joint osteoarthritis following total ankle replacement.Foot Ankle Int. 2019; 40: 1122-1128
- The importance of sufficient graft material in achieving foot or ankle fusion.J Bone Jt Surg Am. 2016; 98: 1260-1267
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 09, 2022
Footnotes
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.
