Intermediate and Long-Term Outcomes of Total Ankle Arthroplasty and Ankle Arthrodesis

The efficacy of total ankle replacement compared with that of ankle fusion continues to be one of the most debated topics in foot and ankle surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are sufficient objective cumulative data in the literature to compare the two procedures. A systematic review of the literature addressing the intermediate and long-term outcomes of interest in total ankle arthroplasty and ankle arthrodesis was performed.

A comprehensive search of MEDLINE for all relevant articles published in English from January 1, 1990, to March 2005 was conducted. Additionally, relevant abstracts from the 2003 and 2004 annual proceedings of major orthopaedic meetings were eligible. Two reviewers evaluated each study to determine whether it was eligible for inclusion and collected the data of interest. Meta-analytic pooling of group results across studies was performed for the two procedures. The analysis of the outcomes focused on second-generation ankle implants.