A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicated that total ankle replacement (TAR) and ankle fusion (AF) surgery produced comparable results for individuals with end-stage ankle osteoarthritis.

A total of 303 patients were included in a multicenter, parallel-group, open-label randomized trial and were randomly assigned to either TAR or AF treatment. The change in walking/standing (The Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire walking/standing) domain scores between the baseline and 52 weeks following surgery were the primary outcome.

The primary result of (MOXFQ-W/S) domain scores showed equal improvements at 52 weeks for the two procedures. TAR improved more than AF. However, neither clinical nor statistical significance was assigned to the discrepancy. The number of adverse events was comparable between the groups, however, the TAR group experienced more problems with wound healing, and the AF group experienced more thromboembolic events and nonunion. A post hoc analysis also revealed that fixed-bearing TAR would be preferable to ankle fusion. The ankle fusion groups total range of motion decreased, whereas it improved for the TAR group.

Thus, researchers found that TAR and AF improved MOXFQ-W/S and had comparable clinical scores and numbers of adverse events.

(Source:

1. https://www.medpagetoday.com/surgery/orthopedics/101741
2. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2058)