ankle replacement x ray

Ankle joint replacement

Today there are great advancements in the world of ankle replacements.  The indications for doing ankle joint replacement surgery is an arthritic ankle with loss of ankle joint space and motion.  It is an exciting time for patients that have been suffering with ankle pain and now there are better replacements than ever. Recent studies have shown ankle replacements  lasting longer and having a lower extraction rate. At the Advanced foot and ankle center of san diego  we use the most advanced techniques for successful ankle joint implant surgeries. In the latest volume of Bone and Joint journal authors found ankle joint replacements performed by  orthopaedic surgeons in the Netherlands looked at patients with ankle joint disease and a   minimum 10-year outcome of mobile-bearing total ankle replacement (TAR) in patients with end-stage arthritis of the ankle. Surgeons followed up with  76 patients who underwent a total of 93  ankle joint replacements, using either the low contact stress (LCS) or Buechel-Pappas designs, during an 11-year period. the findings showed , which was performed at an average of 14.8 years That  the original implant remained in situ in 28 patients. The cumulative incidence of failure 15 years after surgery was 20 percent, while the average American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score of the surviving patients was 80.4 at the final follow-up.  21 patients had to undergo additional surgery was another finding by the authors. Three patients underwent implant exchanges, another three underwent bearing exchanges, and 17 underwent arthrodeses. The conclusion was  that while neither LCS or Beuchel-Pappas are currently available, there is still justification for performing TARs using current mobile-bearing designs on patients with end-stage arthritis of the ankle caused by inflammatory joint disease.

So once again great news that ankle replacement surgery is lasting over 15 years. This is as good as you will get with hip and knee implants as well. Keep in mind there are other solutions to ankle pain such as cartilage replacement and ankle fusions. ankle fusions are not always optimal but when necessary have stood the test of time.