BACKGROUND: Because of the special anatomy of the ankle joint, there are many methods in ankle fusion, and each has its own advantages.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare the effect of tibia slotting versus trephine for ankle fusion discuss the degeneration of adjacent joints.
METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in 35 patients with ankle from February 2002 to February 2011 in the First Affiliated People’s Hospital of Soochow University. We used trephine (n=16) and slotted (n=19) in the tibia to fuse the patients’ ankle joint, then the effect was analyzed and compared.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All the 35 patients were followed-up for 8-96 months. The duration of ankle arthrodesis by tibia slotting was longer than that by trephine (P < 0.05), and the intraoperative blood loose was more (P < 0.05). The average American College of Foot and Ankle Society score at the 8th month follow-up in the tibia slotting group was higher than that in the trephine group (P < 0.05). Eighteen of the 35 patients were followed-up for at least 5 years, 10 cases in the tibia slotting group and 8 cases in the trephine group. Over one third of the patients in both two groups occurred adjacent joint degeneration. Compared with slotting in the tibia, trephine for ankle arthrodesis was a simple operation with small wound, higher fusion rate and less complications. However, the degeneration of the near joint should not be ignored.