Effectiveness of tibio-talo-calcaneal arthrodesis with full thread headless compression screws via combined minimal incisions
To investigate the effectiveness of tibio-talo-calcaneal arthrodesis with full thread headless compression screws via combined minimal incisions. Between January 2012 and December 2016, 36 patients (36 feet) with ankle diseases underwent tibio-talo-calcaneal arthrodesis with parallel double thread headless compression screws via minimal anterior and lateral oblique incisions. There were 14 males and 22 females with an average age of 53.8 years (range, 18-76 years). There were 19 cases of left feet and 17 cases of right feet. There were 21 cases of talar necrosis, 7 cases of post-traumatic arthritis, 3 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, 2 cases of tuberculosis infection (inactive), 1 case of talar absence, 1 case of Charcot’s disease, and 1 case of pigmented villonodular synovitis of ankle and subtalar joints. Preoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) score were 53.7±2.5 and 5.9±0.2, respectively. The operation time was recorded and the wound healing and complications were observed. The bone healing was assessed by X-ray film and CT scanning. The function and pain of joint were evaluated by AOFAS and VAS scores. The mean operation time was 49.8 minutes (range, 33-82 minutes). Incision infection occurred in 1 patient (2.8%) at 3 weeks after operation, and recovered after debridement. The other incisions healed by first intention without complications. Thirty-five patients were followed up with an average of 18.5 months (range, 12-29 months). Imaging examination showed fusion of the ankle and subtalar joints with an average fusion time of 10.9 weeks (range, 8-15 weeks). After 1 year, the AOFAS score (84.7±0.6) and VAS score (0.3±0.1) were significantly higher than preoperative scores (         t=12.596,          P=0.000;          t=30.393,          P=0.000). It is an effective surgical method of tibio-talo-calcaneal arthrodesis with full thread headless compression screws via combined minimal incisions for end-stage ankle disease because of the less complications incidence and the higher postoperative fusion rate.