Safety and efficiency of posterior arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis

Purpose To study the safety and efficiency of posterior arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis. Methods Ten fresh-frozen human lower leg specimens without evidence of previous surgery to the foot and ankle were selected. Arthroscopic debridement of the tibiotalar joint was performed in all specimens using a standardized protocol. Anatomical dissections were regarded the gold standard for safety analysis. To evaluate the efficacy of the posterior ankle arthroscopic arthrodesis, the debrided articular tibiotalar parts were resected and subsequently analysed using Image-analysis software, Image J (Wayne Rasband, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD). Results In none of the specimens, iatrogenic damage was detected during the anatomical dissection following the posterior ankle arthroscopic procedure. A total talar joint surface area of 95 % and total tibial joint surface area of 96 % was addressed during the arthroscopic debridement. Conclusions The posterior ankle arthroscopic arthrodesis can be regarded safe and is also highly effective in the debridement of cartilage, resulting in optimal biology for fusion to occur. Therefore, this new arthroscopic technique potentially will diminish existing non-union rates for the fusion of the ankle joint.