Arthroscopic-assisted arthrodesis in the foot and ankle. Subtalar, tibiotalar, tibiocalcaneal, and metatarsophalangeal: 25 years of experience

Objectives: Arthritis of the foot and ankle joints provoke pain and restricts function. The arthroscopic assisted arthrodesis (AAA) is a minimally invasive procedure for end stage arthritis to eliminate pain and achieve painless mobilization, with numerous benefits like faster time to union, less blood loss, less morbidity, less infection rate, and less soft tissue complications compared with open surgery. The objective of this paper is to retrospectively evaluate our case series (136 patients) of arthroscopic assisted foot and ankle fusion that includes the subtalar, tibiocalcaneal, tibiotalar and metatarsophalangeal joint in our last 25 years of practice. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent arthroscopic assisted arthrodesis in the foot and ankle were identified by review of a registry. Minimum follow-up was 24 months. Patient demographics characteristics, time to radiographic union, and preoperative and postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score (AOFAS) were obtained. Results: Subtalar fusion: 43 patients. Radiographic union was seen in 40 patients at a mean time of 10 weeks (8-14) and non union was seen in three patients, of which 1 required open revision surgery. AOFAS score improved from 43 preoperatively (27-57) to 83 (67-93) postoperatively. Tibiotalar fusion: 55 patients. Radiographic union in a mean time of 12 weeks (7-15) in all 55 cases. AOFAS score improved from 50.5 preoperatively (25-60) to 82 (62-94) postoperatively. Tibiotalocalcaneal fusion: 3 patients. 2 patients with radiographic union at 14 and 16 weeks and 1 showed a fibrotic union of the subtalar joint without pain. AOFAS score improved from 43 preoperatively (34-58) to 78 (67-81) postoperatively. Metatarsophalangeal fusion: 35 patients. Radiographic union in 33 patients at a mean time of 8 weeks (6-11). Two patients presented asymptomatic non union. AOFAS score improved from 38 preoperatively (30-60) to 86 (75-93) postoperatively. Conclusion: Arthroscopic assisted arthrodesis in the foot and ankle is an excellent procedure for end stage degenerated joint.