Background: Ankle fusion is considered a treatment of choice for end-stage ankle arthritis when a total ankle replacement procedure is not indicated. However, the potential risk of secondary arthritis in the adjacent joint after ankle fusion raises arguments on whether preserving the adjacent joint during an isolated tibiotalar (TT) fusion brings about any future benefits with regard to pain and gait discomfort. In this study, we intended to present midterm results following TT or tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion using an Ilizarov external fixator and to investigate whether spontaneous fusion occurred in the subtalar or midtarsal joint. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. Medical records of patients who underwent TT or TTC fusion using an Ilizarov external fixator for substantial bone defects around the ankle joint between 1994 and 2018 were manually searched. Fortyone patients were included and the status of the joints adjacent to the fusion site was evaluated in radiographic examinations. Results: Of the 34 patients who underwent TT fusion, 30 patients (88.3%) had a spontaneous fusion in the adjacent joints. Specifically, 11 patients (29.4%) had subtalar joint fusion and 19 patients (55.9%) had both midtarsal joint and subtalar joint fusion. In TTC fusion, the midtarsal joint was spontaneously fused in all 7 patients. Conclusions In this study, we observed spontaneous adjacent joint fusion following TT or TTC fusion using an Ilizarov external fixator for substantial bone defects around the ankle joint. Although a careful approach should be made since patients treated in this study may not represent typical candidates that need primary joint-sacrificing procedures, we believe that this study may draw attention from surgeons concerned about the fate of the adjacent joint status after TT or TTC fusion.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is known as the greatest risk factor affecting the amputation of diabetic foot. Thus, it is crucial to understand the epidemiology of PAD associated with diabetic foot and the relationship between PTA and amputation in predicting prognosis. However, no such multi-year data are available in Korea. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate trends of amputation involving diabetic foot based on vascular interventions for PAD in Korea. METHODS: This study was conducted using six-year data obtained from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2016. Our study included data pertaining to diabetic foot, PAD, and vascular intervention codes (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty [PTA, M6597], percutaneous intravascular installation of stent-graft [PIISG, M6605], and percutaneous intravascular atherectomy [PIA, M6620]). We analyzed the number of vascular interventions and minor and major amputations each year. The relationship between annual amputation and vascular intervention was analyzed using χ² test. RESULTS: The overall number of vascular interventions increased from 253 (PTA, 111; PIISG, 140; and PIA, 2) in 2011 to 1,230 (PTA, 745; PIISG, 470; and PIA, 15) in 2016. During the same period, the number of minor amputations increased from 2,534 to 3,319 while major amputations decreased from 980 to 956. The proportion of minor amputations among patients who underwent vascular intervention was significantly increased from 19.34% in 2011 to 21.45% in 2016 while the proportion of major amputations among these patients was significantly reduced from 9.88% to 4.27%. In addition, the association between vascular intervention and amputation increased from 0.56 (spearman correlation coefficient) in 2011 to 0.62 in 2016. CONCLUSION: In diabetic foot patients, increase in vascular intervention resulted in a change in amputation pattern, showing statistically significant correlation.
Amputation ; Angioplasty ; Atherectomy ; Diabetic Foot ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Lower Extremity ; Peripheral Arterial Disease ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: To investigate the spatial distribution of diabetes-related lower limb amputations and analyze the relationship between the spatial distribution of diabetes-related lower limb amputations and regional factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed based on the data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, in 2016. The unit of analysis was the administrative districts of city·gun·gu. The dependent variable was the age- and sex-adjusted incidence of diabetes-related lower limb amputations and the regional variables were selected to represent two aspects: socioeconomic factors, and health and medical factors. Along with traditional ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis, geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied for spatial analysis. RESULTS: The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of diabetes-related lower limb amputation varied according to region. OLS regression showed that the incidence of diabetes-related lower limb amputation had significant relationships with the health and medical factors (number of healthcare institution and doctors per 100,000 population). In GWR, the effects of regional factors were not consistent. CONCLUSION: The spatial distribution of the incidence of diabetes-related lower limb amputations and the effects of regional factors varied according to the regions. The regional characteristics should be considered when establishing health policy related to diabetic foot care.
Amputation ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Foot ; Health Policy ; Incidence ; Insurance, Health ; Lower Extremity ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Spatial Analysis ; Spatial Regression

Purpose: Our purpose in the current meta-analysis was to compare the functional outcomes in patients who have received single-radius (SR) or multi-radius (MR) femoral components in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The hypothesis was that there would be no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of functional outcomes. Materials and methods: We searched the international electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to February 2020 for RCTs that compared functional outcomes of SR and MR femoral component designs after primary TKA. We performed a meta-analysis of nine RCTs using the Knee Society Score for the knee (KSS-knee), KSS-function, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), degree of knee flexion, extension, and complications, including postoperative infection and revision surgery. Results: The meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in all the analyzed variables, including KSSknee, KSS-function, KOOS, OKS, knee flexion, and knee extension. For postoperative complications, no statistically significant differences were detected for femoral component designs in postoperative infection or incidence of revision surgery between the two groups. Conclusions The current meta-analysis of RCTs did not show any statistically significant differences between SR and MR femoral component designs in terms of postoperative functional outcomes. Evaluated outcomes included functional outcome scores, degree of knee flexion, extension, and complications. However, because of the limited clinical evidence of this study owing to the heterogeneity between the included RCTs, a careful approach should be made in order not to arrive at definite conclusions.

Purpose: Our purpose in the current meta-analysis was to compare the functional outcomes in patients who have received single-radius (SR) or multi-radius (MR) femoral components in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The hypothesis was that there would be no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of functional outcomes. Materials and methods: We searched the international electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to February 2020 for RCTs that compared functional outcomes of SR and MR femoral component designs after primary TKA. We performed a meta-analysis of nine RCTs using the Knee Society Score for the knee (KSS-knee), KSS-function, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), degree of knee flexion, extension, and complications, including postoperative infection and revision surgery. Results: The meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in all the analyzed variables, including KSSknee, KSS-function, KOOS, OKS, knee flexion, and knee extension. For postoperative complications, no statistically significant differences were detected for femoral component designs in postoperative infection or incidence of revision surgery between the two groups. Conclusions The current meta-analysis of RCTs did not show any statistically significant differences between SR and MR femoral component designs in terms of postoperative functional outcomes. Evaluated outcomes included functional outcome scores, degree of knee flexion, extension, and complications. However, because of the limited clinical evidence of this study owing to the heterogeneity between the included RCTs, a careful approach should be made in order not to arrive at definite conclusions.