OBJECTIVETo evaluate the methods and results of arthroscopy-assisted ankle arthrodesis.

METHODSFrom January 2001 to May 2009, 25 patients with end-stage ankle joint pathology were treated with arthroscopy-assisted ankle arthrodesis. There were 18 males and 7 females with an average age of 47.5 years (ranged, 32 to 70 years). The locations were left ankle in 10 cases and right ankle in 15 cases, including 13 cases of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, 10 cases of Kaschin-Beck disease and 2 cases of rheumatoid arthritis. At pre- and post-operation, the 10-point VAS score for ankle pain was obtained; the ankle functional was evaluated by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle and hindfoot score, which include pain, activity limitations, maximum walking distance, walking surfaces, gait abnormality, sagittal motion, hindfoot motion, ankle-hind-foot stability, and alignment.

RESULTSAll the patients were follow-up,with a mean period of 27.5 months (ranged, 20 to 35 months). All the patients were free of pain and the gait was improved. There were no complications, such as neurovascular injuries, infection or hardware failure. All the patients achieved fusion in a mean of 11.7 weeks (ranged, 8 to 15 weeks). Overall, the mean 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) score decreased from (8.60 +/- 0.96) preoperatively to (1.20 +/- 0.82) postoperatively (t=27.326, P=0.000). After operation, the items of pain, activity limitations, maximum walking distance, walking surfaces, gait abnormality, sagittal motion, hindfoot motion, ankle-hind-foot stability, and alignment improved. AOFAS score was significantly increased from (36.44 +/- 9.90) points preoperatively to (82.44 +/- 4.96) points postoperatively (t=-19.178, P=0.000).

CONCLUSIONArthroscopy-assisted ankle arthrodesis offered minimal trauma, high fusion rates, rapid recovery and low morbidity. This study confirmed the efficacy of the arthroscopy-assisted ankle arthrodesis for ankle joint pathology.