OrthoSpineNews reports on the findings of an HSS study co-authored by foot and ankle surgeon Scott J. Ellis, MD and published in Foot & Ankle International, evaluating eight patients who had a limb deformity and end-stage ankle osteoarthritis (OA) and underwent staged deformity correction and total ankle arthroplasty (TAA).

“It was fascinating to find that we could have Drs. S. Robert Rozbruch (chief of Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service at HSS) and Austin Fragomen (limb lengthening surgeon at HSS) correct a wide variety of deformity in the tibia, as well as limb length discrepancy prior to total ankle replacement in patients with severe ankle arthritis,” said Dr. Ellis.

Dr. Ellis added, “Successful results in total ankle replacement can be achieved only when correct alignment is obtained at the time of surgery. Sometimes, however, when there are deformities of the tibia or femur (either from congenital problems or previous trauma), much more complex correction of the deformity is required above the level of the ankle before a total ankle replacement can even be considered.”

When asked why this is a new topic in the literature, Dr. Ellis noted, “This has not been studied before because this work can generally only occur at a center with expertise in both tibial osteotomy alignment and total ankle replacement. The study required collaboration between the two services. Also, these cases are not very common, making such a large number of cases not readily accessible.”

Read the full article at Orthospinenews.com.