Objective: To review the development and clinical application of ankle prosthesis. Methods: The recent literature on ankle prosthesis design and clinical application was reviewed and analyzed. Results: Compared with the hip and knee prostheses, the ankle prosthesis develops slowly and has been developed to the third generation. The ankle joint has a special structure of multi-axis movement. The design of the first and second generations of prostheses is not conformed to the biomechanics of the ankle. The third generation of prosthesis is more conform to the characteristics of ankle biomechanics, with high postoperative survival rate and satisfactory clinical outcome. Conclusion: At present, the survival rate of ankle prosthesis is low, and there is still much room for improvement in biomechanics, materials, and other aspects.

Background: The mechanism of peripheral axon transport in neuropathic pain is still unclear. Chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) and its receptor (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5, CXCR5) as well as GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) play an important role in the development of pain. The aim of this study was to explore the axonal transport of CXCL13/CXCR5 and GAT-1 with the aid of the analgesic effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in rats. Methods: Chronic constriction injury (CCI) rat models were established. BTX-A was administered to rats through subcutaneous injection in the hind paw. The pain behaviors in CCI rats were measured by paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latencies. The levels of CXCL13/CXCR5 and GAT-1 were measured by western blots. Results: The subcutaneous injection of BTX-A relieved the mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia induced by CCI surgery and reversed the overexpression of CXCL13/CXCR5 and GAT-1 in the spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia (DRG), sciatic nerve, and plantar skin in CCI rats. After 10 mmol/L colchicine blocked the axon transport of sciatic nerve, the inhibitory effect of BTX-A disappeared, and the levels of CXCL13/CXCR5 and GAT-1 in the spinal cord and DRG were reduced in CCI rats. Conclusions BTX-A regulated the levels of CXCL13/CXCR5 and GAT-1 in the spine and DRG through axonal transport. Chemokines (such as CXCL13) may be transported from the injury site to the spine or DRG through axonal transport. Axon molecular transport may be a target to enhance pain management in neuropathic pain.

Objective:To investigate the effect of free anterolateral thigh perforator flap in repair of forefoot injuries combined with multiple tissue defect.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted on 26 patients who suffered from forefoot injuries combined with multiple tissue defect admitted to 920th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA from January 2015 to December 2019. There were 21 males and 5 females, aged 15-61 years [(31.6±12.5)years]. The combined injuries were fracture in 10 patients, arsometatarsal joint dislocation in 3, bone defect in 9, tendon injury in 5, and ligament injury in 3. Management of multiple tissue defect of the forefeet: soft-tissue defect of the forefeet was resurfaced with free anterolateral thigh perforator flaps with the dimension of 6.0 cm×3.5 cm to 26.5 cm×10.0 cm; fracture was fixed by Kirschner wires; joint dislocation was treated by open reduction and Kirschner wires fixations; bone defect was reconstructed either by one-stage bone graft or by use of membrane-induced technique and secondary bone graft, according to the wound conditions; tendon injury of extensor digitorum longus was repaired by direct tendon suture or by tendon transfer; tarsometatarsal ligament injury was primarily sutured. The flap survival rate was observed within 2 weeks after operation. The fracture healing, bone-defect repair, foot appearance, and donor-site healing were detected at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year post-operatively and at the last follow-up. The postoperative complications were recorded. The foot function was assessed using American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score before operation and at the final follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 6-36 months [(20.5±4.6)months]. All flaps survived uneventfully. The fracture healing and bone defect repair were acquired. The flap showed good texture, including primary flap thinning in 11 patients and secondarily thinning in 15 patients at 3-6 months postoperatively. The donor sites showed good healing, leaving only a linear scar. The flap venous crisis developed in 1 patient and survived after emergency vascular exploring. Local infection of flap occurred in 3 patients and was cured after further debridement and the use of sensitive antibiotics. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 54-94 points [(76.6±10.4)points] at the last follow-up, compared to preoperative 11-51 points [(27.2±11.3)points] ( P<0.01). The results were excellent in 5 patients, good in 11, and fair in 10, with the excellent and good rate of 62%. Conclusions:For forefoot injuries combined with multiple tissue defect, anterolateral thigh perforator flap transplantation with additional techniques to treat fractures, bone defect, tendon and ligament injuries can achieve satisfactory results in aesthetic appearance of the flap and donor site and foot function recovery.

Objective:To investigate the early curative effects of robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the treatment of valgus knee.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 40 patients with valgus knee who had been treated by TKA at Department of Orthopaedics, The 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army from January to December 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether a robot had been used or not for TKA. In the observation group of 15 cases for which TKA was assisted by a robot, there were 4 males and 11 females with an age of (65.5±6.2) years, and the disease course was 42 (36, 54) months; in the control group of 25 cases for which conventional TKA was performed, there were 8 males and 17 females with an age of (65.8±7.5) years, and the disease course was 42 (36, 60) months. Surgical time, hemoglobin decrease, and knee joint range of motion, American Knee Society Score (KSS), hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), and medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) at 12 months after surgery were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The surgical time in the observation group was (148.0±21.2) min, significantly longer than that in the control group [(115.2±7.1) min], and the hemoglobin decreased by (11.8±1.1) g/L in the observation group, significantly less than that in the control group [(18.1±1.8) g/L] ( P<0.05). The observation group and the control group were followed up for 13 (13, 14) and 13 (13, 14) months after surgery, respectively, showing no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). At 12 months after surgery, the KSS knee score, KSS functional score, and knee range of motion in the observation group were (86.1±4.6) points, (86.9±3.1) points, and 115.7°±5.0°, significantly larger than those in the control group [(82.2±3.5) points, (82.8±0.9) points, and 108.2°±5.0°] ( P<0.05). Reexamination of full-length radiographs of both lower limbs in all patients showed good positions of the prostheses and no such adverse events as loosening or sinking at 12 months after surgery. The HKA (178.5°±1.2°) and LDFA (89.1°±0.7°) at 12 months after surgery in the observation group were significantly larger than those in the control group (176.6°±1.5°, 88.2°±8.2°) ( P<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in MPTA between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the treatment of valgus knee, robot-assisted TKA can correct joint deformity, and achieve precise osteotomy and functional alignment of lower limbs, leading to better early curative effects than conventional TKA.

Objective:To investigate the safety and effectiveness of robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:From August 2021 to March 2022, the data of 69 patients who received robot-assisted TKA for inflammatory disease of knee in 6 hospitals were collected, including 24 males and 45 females, aged 52±6 years (range, 46-72 years), including 53 cases of knee osteoarthritis,10 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, and 6 cases of traumatic arthritis. Imaging data examination of patients was completed according to the multicenter specification. Preoperatively, the patient's CT data were extracted before surgery and a personalized prosthesis positioning plan was designed by the robotic system to determine the prosthesis size, lower limb force lines, and femoral and tibial osteotomy volumes; intraoperatively, the osteotomy template was robotically controlled to complete the osteotomy according to the prosthesis positioning plan, and the intraoperative osteotomy volumes were measured to verify the accuracy of the robot-assisted TKA osteotomy with the preoperative planning. Postoperatively, the lateral angle of the distal femur, the medial angle of the proximal tibia and the hip-knee-ankle angle were measured in the coronal plane according to radiographs; the postoperative outcome was evaluated 3 months after operation, using the American Knee Society score (KSS), including the KSS knee score and functional score.Results:The operative time was 97.3±2.3 min (range, 80-110 min) and the amount of bleeding was 320.0±6.2 ml (range, 300-350 ml) in 69 patients. Three months after operation, the mean range of motion of knee joint was increased from 82.2°±1.1° before surgery to 119.7°±0.8° after surgery ( t=27.65, P<0.001), and the line of force of lower limb was improved from 160.9°±0.5° before surgery to 178.0°±0.2° after surgery ( t=32.03, P<0.001). KSS-knee score increased from 54.8±0.7 points before operation to 85.0±0.5 points after operation, and KSS-functional score increased from 56.5±0.7 points before operation to 85.9±0.4 points after operation, the difference was statistically significant ( t=35.45, 36.58, P<0.001). The proportion of patients with intraoperative femoral and tibial osteotomies within 2 mm osteotomy error compared with preoperative planning was 97% for the lateral tibial plateau, 100% for the medial tibial plateau, 100% for the lateral distal femur, 99% for the medial distal femur, 93% for the lateral posterior femoral condyle, and 100% for the medial posterior femoral condyle; The proportion of patients with postoperative anteroposterior X-ray measurement angle error within 3° was: 100.0% for the distal lateral femoral angle, 100.0% for the proximal medial tibial angle, and 100% for the hip-knee-ankle angle. No complications occurred in all patients except for one case in which fat liquefaction occurred in the postoperative wound. Conclusion:Robot-assisted TKA is a safe and effective surgical method for the treatment of inflammatory disease of knee with accurate prosthesis installation and good postoperative recovery of lower limb alignment.