Level IV, retrospective case series.

No abstract

Successful tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis can be difficult to achieve in patients with bulk bone defects even with the use of femoral head allograft. Retrograde intramedullary nail placement through custom 3-dimensional (3D) spherical implants is an innovative option for these patients. The purpose of this study was to compare fusion rates, graft resorption, and complication rates between patients undergoing TTC fusion with 3D sphere implants versus femoral head allografts. Patients who underwent TTC arthrodesis with an intramedullary nail along with a 3D spherical implant (n = 8) or femoral head allograft (n = 7) were included in this study. The rate of successful fusion of the tibia, calcaneus, and talar neck to the 3D sphere or femoral head allograft was compared between the groups. The rate of total fused articulations was significantly higher in the 3D sphere group (92%) than the femoral head allograft group (62%; p = .018). The number of patients achieving successful fusion of all 3 articulations was higher in the 3D sphere group (75%) than the femoral head allograft group (42.9%, p = .22). The rate of graft resorption was significantly higher in the femoral head allograft group (57.1%) than the 3D sphere group (0%, p = .016). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of complications. These data demonstrate that the use of a custom 3D printed sphere implant is safe in patients with severe bone loss undergoing TTC arthrodesis with a retrograde intramedullary nail and may result in improved rates of successful arthrodesis.

Background. Patients with talar avascular necrosis (AVN) have limited treatment options to manage their symptoms. Historically, surgical options have been limited and can leave patients with little ankle motion and have high failure rates. The use of custom 3D printed total talar replacements (TTRs) has arisen as a treatment option for these patients, possibly allowing better preservation of hindfoot motion. We hypothesized that patients undergoing TTR will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) at 1 year after surgery. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients who underwent a TTR over a 2-year period. Patient outcomes were reviewed, including age, sex, comorbidities, etiology of talar pathology, number and type of prior surgeries, radiographic alignment, FAOS and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, and range of motion. Data analysis was performed with Student t-tests and multivariate regression. Results. FAOSs and VAS scores showed statistically significant improvements postoperatively as compared with preoperative scores. There was a statistically significant decrease in VAS pain scores from 7.0 preoperatively to 3.6 (P < .001). Average follow-up was 12.8 months. With the number of patients available, there was no statistically significant change in radiographic alignment parameters postoperatively as compared with preoperatively (P values ranged from .225 to .617). Conclusion. Our hypothesis that these patients show statistically significant improvements in FAOSs at 1 year was confirmed. TTR represents an exciting treatment option for patients with talar AVN, though longer-term follow-up is needed. Level of Evidence: Level IV: Case series

Background: Subtalar distraction arthrodesis (SDA) was developed as a means of treating the symptoms of subtalar arthritis. Despite almost 30 years of research in this field, many controversies still exist regarding SDA. The objective of this study was to present an overview of outcomes following SDA, focusing on surgical technique as well as clinical and radiographic results. Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE were queried and data abstraction was performed by 2 independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria for the articles were (1) English language, (2) peer-reviewed clinical studies with evidence levels I to IV, (3) with at least 5 patients, and (4) reporting clinical and/or radiographic outcomes of SDA. Results: Twenty-five studies matched the inclusion criteria (2 Level III and 23 Level IV studies) including 492 feet in 467 patients. The most common indication for SDA was late complications of calcaneus fractures. Many different operative techniques have been described, and there is no proven superiority of one method over the other. The most commonly reported complications were nonunion, hardware prominence, wound complications, and sural neuralgia. All studies showed both radiographic and clinical improvement at the last follow-up visit compared with the preoperative evaluation. Pooled results (12 studies, 237 patients) demonstrated improved American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores with a weighted average of 33 points of improvement. Conclusion: SDA provides good clinical results at short-term and midterm follow-up, with improvement in ankle function as well as acceptable complication and failure rates. Higher quality studies are necessary to better assess outcomes between different operative techniques. Level of Evidence: Level III.

No abstract

Level III: Retrospective comparative study.

Background: Preoperative mental health and depression have been shown to negatively impact patient-reported outcome measures after a broad array of orthopaedic procedures including total ankle arthroplasty. The hypothesis for this study was that decreased Short Form (SF)-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores will modulate the impact of depression on patient-reported outcome measures after total ankle arthroplasty. Methods: All patients undergoing primary total ankle arthroplasty between January 2007 and December 2016 who were enrolled into a prospective outcomes study and who had at least 1-year minimum study follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were separated into 4 groups based on the presence or absence of an SF-36 MCS score of <35 points and diagnosis of depression. SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and MCS scores, Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) function and bother components, and visual analog scale (VAS) pain were collected preoperatively and in the 1 to 2-year follow-up. The Wilcoxon rank sum was used to assess differences in outcomes by depression and low preoperative MCS scores. Multivariable models were then constructed to evaluate between-group differences in change scores according to preoperative SF-36 MCS scores and a diagnosis of depression, with adjustment for baseline patient and treatment characteristics. Results: Patients with depression and those with low preoperative MCS scores had significantly worse final outcome scores along with reduced improvement in SF-36 PCS and VAS pain scores compared with patients without these risk factors. Among patients with depression, low preoperative MCS scores helped to differentiate patients with poor final outcome scores. Similarly, in patients with low preoperative MCS scores, depression helped to differentiate patients with poor final outcome scores. Conclusions: Although patients achieved significant improvements in functional outcomes regardless of cohort, decreased preoperative mental health modulated the impact of depression on outcomes. Patients with diminished preoperative mental health and depression are at an increased risk for sustaining smaller improvements in outcomes. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.