Twenty-one patients had a unilateral extended arthrodesis of the ankle
and hindfoot (a tibiotalocalcaneal procedure in thirteen patients and a
pantalar procedure in eight) for post-traumatic osteoarthrosis or
deformity, or both. The operation was performed through a transfibular
extended lateral approach, and autogenous bone graft and rigid internal
fixation was used. A final alignment of 0 to 5 degrees of valgus, 0 to 5
degrees of calcaneus, and external rotation equal to that of the
contralateral side was sought. Subjective and objective evaluation,
including a personal interview, physical examination, and radiographic and
dynamic pedobarographic analysis, was performed at a mean interval of
thirty-two months (range, twenty-four to fifty-four months) after the
operation. A solid fusion was achieved in eighteen (86 per cent) of the
twenty-one patients. There were five malunions (24 per cent) and two
superficial wound problems (10 per cent). Of the seventeen patients who
were not retired from work, eleven returned to work: nine to an occupation
that involved standing and two to a sedentary occupation. Although
seventeen (81 per cent) of the twenty-one patients reported that they were
much improved, twenty (95 per cent) had some pain, and most benefited from
modifications in shoe-wear. Patients who had had a tibiotalocalcaneal
arthrodesis were more mobile and functioned at a higher level than those
who had had a pantalar arthrodesis. Extended arthrodesis of the ankle and
hindfoot is a complex, technically demanding procedure, and should be
regarded as a salvage operation capable of producing a satisfactory result
and usually providing a reasonable alternative to amputation.