Ankle arthrodesis versus ankle replacement for ankle arthritis.

A nkle arthritis is nine-times less common than hip or knee arthritis [2]. When ankle arthritis does occur, it causes pain and severe disability. Ankle arthritis is as physically debilitating as end stage renal disease, congestive heart failure, cervical spine arthritis, and radiculopathy [5]. The treatment options for severe ankle arthritis have changed during the past 10 to 15 years. Currently, treatment options include ankle arthrodesis and total ankle replacement. There remains considerable controversy about the benefits of each procedure, and important questions about which patients might benefit from one approach more than the other. To gain insight on this topic, I invited two experts in the field of foot and ankle surgery to discuss ankle arthrodesis and total ankle replacement. Charles L. Saltzman MD is the lead author on the largest prospective, case-controlled study examining functional outcomes after ankle arthroplasty versus ankle arthrodesis [4]. Bruce J. Sangeorzan MD is a world expert in ankle biomechanics, specifically after ankle fusion and compared to ankle replacement [3].