Arthroscopic Ankle and Subtalar Arthrodesis – Indications and Surgical Technique

The history of arthroscopy begins in 1918 when Takagi performed a knee arthroscopy in a cadaver. Due to its narrow joint space, the ankle joint was not considered suitable for arthro‐ scopy in those days. Despite this, in 1939, Takagi described an arthroscopic technique for the ankle joint in a Japanese Orthopaedic Association Journal (Takagi 1939). Watanabe describes in 1972 the anteromedial, anterolateral and posterior portals to the ankle joint. (Watanabe, 1972). In the last few years, thanks to the development of arthroscopic instruments for small joints, and the description of new arthroscopic techniques, ankle and foot arthroscopy have developed significantly (Andrews et al., 1985; Drez et al., 1981; Ferkel, 1996; Gollehon & Drez, 1983; Johnson, 1981; Ogilvie-Harris DJ et al., 1997; Parisien & Vangsness, 1985; Tol & van Dijk, 2004; van Dijk & Scholte, 1997).