Abstract:Objective: To compare clinical and radiologic results and complications of patients who underwent arthrodesis using a transfibular approach with either a cannulated screw or an anterior fusion plate. Methods: Patients who underwent ankle arthrodesis were divided into two groups according to the used materials: 6.5 mm cannulated screw (A) and anterior fusion plate (B). The clinical scores were compared between groups. The radiologic results were then assessed by union time. The results were statistically analy… Show more
“…Also, preparing the distal fibula before using it as a graft (which includes harvesting it, shaping and/or morselising it) may require additional surgical time in those settings where a limited number of scrubbed assistants are available during surgery. While the complication rate in the studies selected in our analysis varied quite largely, ranging from 0 to 30% 18 , 19 , 21 – 24 , 26 , 29 , 30 , the pooled estimate for complications in arthrodeses where fibular graft was used was 15%, being slightly higher but not statistically different from the complication rate of only-screws constructs (13%). Considering the greater number of screws used to stabilise a lateral fibular strut, we would have expected a higher complication rate related to irritation from metalwork in this group, which was not the case.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 94%
“…Overall, we included 306 ankles (296 patients) from ten series (ten studies) (Fig. 1 ) 17 – 26 . Figure 1 Flow chart for studies included in this systematic review.…”
Ankle arthrodesis is commonly performed to treat end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of fibular autograft might increase the fusion rate and decrease the complication rate in ankle arthrodesis (AA) fixed using cannulated screws. To perform this PRISMA-compliant proportional meta-analysis, multiple databases were searched for studies in which patients undergone AA (using exclusively cannulated screws and augmented with fibular bone graft) were followed. The characteristics of the cohort, the study design, surgical details, the nonunion and complication rate at the longest follow-up were extracted and recorded. The modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS) was applied to appraise the quality of studies. Two groups were built: arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft (G1) and arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft and augmented with a lateral fibular onlay (G2). A third group (arthrodeses fixed with screws and no graft, G3) was extracted from previous literature for a further comparison. Overall, we included 306 ankles (296 patients) from ten series (ten studies). In G1 and G2 there were 118 ankles (111 patients) and 188 ankles (185 patients), respectively. In patients where cancellous autograft was used, a further augmentation with a fibular lateral strut autograft did not change significantly the nonunion (4% [95% CI 1–9] in G1 vs. 2% [95% CI 0–5) in G2, p = 0.99) nor the complication rate (18% [95% CI 0–36] in G1 vs. 13% [95% CI 6–21) in G2, p = 0.71). Upon comparison with 667 ankles (659 patients, G3) in which arthrodeses had been performed without grafting, the nonunion and complication rates did not differ significantly either (pooled estimates: 3% [95% CI 1–3) in G1 + G2 vs. 3% [95% CI 2–4] in G3, p = 0.73 for nonunion; 15% [8–23] in G1 + G2 vs. 13% [95% CI 9–17] in G3, p = 0.93 for complications). In ankle arthrodesis fixed with cannulated screws combined with cancellous autograft at the fusion site, a construct augmentation with a distal fibular onlay strut graft positioned laterally at the ankle joint does not reduce the risk of nonunion or complication. In general, the use of bone graft does not influence significantly the nonunion nor the complication rate as compared to non-grafted screw-fixed ankle arthrodeses.Kindly check and confirm the corresponding author mail id is correctly identified.It's all correct
“…Also, preparing the distal fibula before using it as a graft (which includes harvesting it, shaping and/or morselising it) may require additional surgical time in those settings where a limited number of scrubbed assistants are available during surgery. While the complication rate in the studies selected in our analysis varied quite largely, ranging from 0 to 30% 18 , 19 , 21 – 24 , 26 , 29 , 30 , the pooled estimate for complications in arthrodeses where fibular graft was used was 15%, being slightly higher but not statistically different from the complication rate of only-screws constructs (13%). Considering the greater number of screws used to stabilise a lateral fibular strut, we would have expected a higher complication rate related to irritation from metalwork in this group, which was not the case.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 94%
“…Overall, we included 306 ankles (296 patients) from ten series (ten studies) (Fig. 1 ) 17 – 26 . Figure 1 Flow chart for studies included in this systematic review.…”
Ankle arthrodesis is commonly performed to treat end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of fibular autograft might increase the fusion rate and decrease the complication rate in ankle arthrodesis (AA) fixed using cannulated screws. To perform this PRISMA-compliant proportional meta-analysis, multiple databases were searched for studies in which patients undergone AA (using exclusively cannulated screws and augmented with fibular bone graft) were followed. The characteristics of the cohort, the study design, surgical details, the nonunion and complication rate at the longest follow-up were extracted and recorded. The modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS) was applied to appraise the quality of studies. Two groups were built: arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft (G1) and arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft and augmented with a lateral fibular onlay (G2). A third group (arthrodeses fixed with screws and no graft, G3) was extracted from previous literature for a further comparison. Overall, we included 306 ankles (296 patients) from ten series (ten studies). In G1 and G2 there were 118 ankles (111 patients) and 188 ankles (185 patients), respectively. In patients where cancellous autograft was used, a further augmentation with a fibular lateral strut autograft did not change significantly the nonunion (4% [95% CI 1–9] in G1 vs. 2% [95% CI 0–5) in G2, p = 0.99) nor the complication rate (18% [95% CI 0–36] in G1 vs. 13% [95% CI 6–21) in G2, p = 0.71). Upon comparison with 667 ankles (659 patients, G3) in which arthrodeses had been performed without grafting, the nonunion and complication rates did not differ significantly either (pooled estimates: 3% [95% CI 1–3) in G1 + G2 vs. 3% [95% CI 2–4] in G3, p = 0.73 for nonunion; 15% [8–23] in G1 + G2 vs. 13% [95% CI 9–17] in G3, p = 0.93 for complications). In ankle arthrodesis fixed with cannulated screws combined with cancellous autograft at the fusion site, a construct augmentation with a distal fibular onlay strut graft positioned laterally at the ankle joint does not reduce the risk of nonunion or complication. In general, the use of bone graft does not influence significantly the nonunion nor the complication rate as compared to non-grafted screw-fixed ankle arthrodeses.Kindly check and confirm the corresponding author mail id is correctly identified.It's all correct
“…В одном из последних исследований была отмечена частота сращения артродеза с ПФ до 97,6 % [19,27]. Вместе с тем, в другом исследовании не было обнаружено значительной разницы в результатах между применением винтов и пластин при артродезе ГСС [28].…”
Introduction Treatment methods for late stages of ankle osteoarthritis are varied, but the issue of assessing the long-term results of various fixation methods has not yet been studied, and this issue is of great importance in clinical practice.Purpose To compare the effectiveness of the fixation methods commonly used for ankle arthrodesis in patients with advanced ankle osteoarthritis.Materials and methods Eighty-two patients with advanced ankle osteoarthritis were treated with ankle fusion between 2019 and 2023 at three major medical institutions. All patients underwent 12-month follow-ups. The patients were divided into four groups depending on the method of surgical fixation of bone fragments.Results Most patients showed a significant improvement in the function and a decrease in pain intensity after the arthrodesis operation. The comparison of the effectiveness of various surgical fixation methods found that external apparatus screw fixation is characterized by lower blood loss and a relatively short duration of the operation. Plate and screw fixation resulted in higher AOFAS and VAS scores at 3 months postoperatively. However, by the 12th month after surgery, the differences in these two indicators were insignificant.Discussion Despite the various complications that occur in ankle arthrodesis, it remains effective for most patients. Among them, the Ilizarov apparatus is more suitable for patients with compromised conditions in the surgical area. Each method of surgical fixation has its own advantages and shortcomings, but the difference in long-term effectiveness is small. Conclusion Ankle arthrodesis is an effective treatment for advanced ankle osteoarthritis. The choice of surgical method is still subject to the principle of individual approach.
Objective
Ankle arthrodesis (AA) is often fixed using cannulated screws. The irritation from metalwork is a relatively common complication, but there is no consensus regarding the need to remove the screws on a systematic basis. The aim of this study was to determine (1) the proportion of screws removed after AA and (2) whether predictors of screw removal could be identified.
Methods
This PRISMA-compliant systematic review was part of a larger previous protocol registered on the PROSPERO platform. Multiple databases were searched including studies in which patients undergone AA using screws as exclusive fixation method were followed. Data were harvested regarding the cohort, the study design, the surgical technique, the nonunion and complication rate at the longest follow-up. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS).
Results
Forty-four series of patients from thirty-eight studies (1990 ankles, 1934 patients) were selected. The average follow-up was 40.8 months (range 12–110). In all studies, hardware was removed due to symptoms reported by patients and related to the screws. The pooled proportion of removal of metalwork was 3% (95% CI 2–4). The pooled proportion of fusion was 96% (95%CI 95–98), while the pooled proportion of complications and reoperations (excluding the removal of metalwork) stood at 15% (95% CI 11–18) and 3% (95% CI 2–4), respectively. The mean mCMS (50.8 ± 8.1, range 35–66) revealed only an overall fair quality of studies. The univariate analysis and the multivariate model showed that the year of publication (R = − 0.004; p = 0.01) and the number of screws (R = 0.08; p = 0.01) were associated with the screw removal rate. Specifically, we found that over time the removal rate decreased by 0.4% per year and that the use of three screws instead of two reduced the risk of removal of metalwork by 8%.
Conclusions
In this review, removal of metalwork after ankle arthrodesis using cannulated screws was needed in 3% of cases at an average follow-up of 40.8 months. It was indicated only in case of symptoms related to soft tissue irritation from screws. The use of three screws was paradoxically related to a reduced risk of removal of screws as compared to two-screw constructs.
Level of evidence
Level IV, systematic review of Level IV.
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