Osteoarthritis of the ankle: bridging concepts in basic science with clinical care

Outcome of ankle arthrodesis and ankle prosthesis: a review of the current status

INTRODUCTION

In advanced stages of ankle osteoarthritis (OA), ankle arthrodesis (AA) or total ankle arthroplasty (TAR) may be necessary. Our purpose is to compare AA and total ankle replacement for the surgical management of end stage ankle OA.

SOURCES OF DATA

We conducted a literature search of PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase and Google Scholar databases using the terms 'ankle' in combination with 'OA', 'arthrodesis', 'arthroplasty', 'joint fusion', 'joint replacement'. Studies where treatment was exclusively total ankle replacement or AA were excluded. Treatment characteristics and outcome parameters (overall postoperative outcome and complication rate) were reviewed.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT

When counseling patients who are considering their options with regard to ankle arthritis treatment, surgeons should determine on an individual basis which procedure is more suitable.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

TAR has become an accepted treatment for end-stage OA, but revision rates for TAR are significant higher than for AA (odds ratio 2.28 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63-3.19; P < 0.0001).

GROWING POINTS

The results of TAA are gradually improving, but the procedure cannot yet be recommended for the routine management of ankle OA.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH

Although there is some evidence to support TAR to conserve ankle motion and offer improved function and decreased pain with high satisfaction rates, revision rates for TAR are significantly higher than revision rates for AA. Proper patient selection should be better addressed in future studies for successful treatment of end-stage ankle OA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Systematic review, level III.

Regeneration of articular cartilage of the knee

Cartilage therapy for focal articular lesions of the knee has been implemented for more than a decade, and it is becoming increasingly available. What do we know on the healing response of cartilage lesions? What do we know on the treatment of focal cartilage lesions of the knee and the prognostic factors involved? PubMed articles related to articular cartilage regeneration of the knee in clinical studies were searched from January 2006 to November 2012, using the following key words: articular cartilage, regeneration, clinical studies, and knee. A total of 44 reports were found. They showed the following possibilities for the treatment of focal lesions of the articular cartilage of the knee: cartilage regeneration and repair including cartilage reparation with gene-activated matrices, autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and matrix-induced ACI (MACI), microfracture, osteochondral autograft transfer (mosaicplasty), biological approaches (scaffolds, mesenchymal stem cells-MSCs, platelet-rich plasma, growing factors-GF, bone morphogenetic proteins-BMPs, magnetically labeled synovium-derived cells-M-SDCs, and elastic-like polypeptide gels), osteotomies, stem-cell-coated titanium implants, and chondroprotection with pulsed electromagnetic fields. Untreated cartilage lesions on the femoral condyles had a superior healing response compared to those on the tibial plateaus, and in the patellofemoral joint. Clinical outcome regarding the treatment of medial defects is better than that of the lateral defects. Improvement from baseline was better for patients < or = 30 years compared with patients > or = 30 years. ACI, MACI, and mosaicplasty have shown similar results. The results of comparative clinical studies using ACI have shown some superiority over conventional microfracturing in medium or large defects and in long-term durability. Some biological methods such as scaffolds, MSCs, GF, M-SDCs, BMPs, and elastic-like polypeptide gels still need more research.

A retrospective analysis of lesser metatarsophalangeal joint fusion as a treatment option for hammertoe pathology associated with metatarsophalangeal joint instability

Complex hammer digit deformity is commonly associated with instability of the metatarsophalangeal joint. Restoring joint stability is critical for digit alignment and function and can be challenging and unpredictable. Lesser metatarsophalangeal joint fusion might be an alternative treatment to the current soft tissue balancing, repair, and extra-articular osseous procedures used to treat joint instability. The present study was a retrospective chart and radiographic review of the pooled outcomes of 31 consecutive lesser metatarsophalangeal joint fusion procedures performed by 3 independent surgeons from May 2004 to September 2009. The clinical and radiographic outcomes were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The overall interval to radiographic union was 8.69 ± 1.7 weeks (range 6 to 12 and 95% confidence interval 7.9 to 9.4). The overall period to clinical union was 10.25 ± 4.5 weeks (range 4 to 22 and 95% confidence interval 8.5 to 11.9). The mean duration of non-weight-bearing was 4.71 ± 1.74 weeks, followed by 5.09 ± 2.8 weeks of guarded weight-bearing with a brace. Complications included nonunion in 4 (12.90%), hardware breakage in 2 (6.45%), and soft tissue infection in 1 (3.23%). Patients demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in pain (p = .035) and improved digit alignment after the procedure that enabled full return to unrestricted weight-bearing activities without limitations or the need for orthoses. These findings support metatarsophalangeal joint fusion as an alternative treatment of lesser digit metatarsophalangeal joint instability associated with hammer digit deformities that obviate the need for concomitant soft tissue procedures such as plantar plate repair or tendon balancing procedures.

Treatment of ankle osteoarthritis: arthrodesis versus total ankle replacement

While ankle arthrodesis has remained the gold standard treatment for symptomatic primary, secondary, and posttraumatic ankle arthritis, more recently, total ankle replacement (TAR) has seen considerable improvement in terms of biomechanics, function, and complication rates. However, while in the long-term degeneration of the adjacent joints is almost always found on radiographs after ankle arthrodesis, the longevity of TAR is still insufficient and does not match that of total knee and hip joints. The current review article focuses on the treatment of ankle arthritis by means of arthrodesis and TAR.