SHO Journal Club Applegate

BACKGROUND: Hindfoot arthrodesis with tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) intramedullary nails is used commonly when treating ankle and subtalar arthritis and other hindfoot pathology. Adequate compression is paramount to avoid nonunion and fatigue fracture of the hardware. Arthrodesis systems with internal compression have demonstrated superior compression to systems relying on external methods. This study examined the speed of union with TTC fusion nails with internal compression over nails without internal compression...

The development of osteophytes, ectopic bone, or malleolar impingement following total ankle replacement represents common complications that will frequently lead to secondary procedures to relieve painful impingement. Many studies have been conducted to discover the cause of these postoperative impingement syndromes; however, there is a paucity of literature with regard to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of these conditions. The authors discuss the potential causes of formation of osteophytes and ectopic bone formation, as well as malleolar impingement syndromes following primary total ankle replacement with focus placed on diagnosis and management of these complications...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report trends associated with concurrent ankle arthroscopy at the time of operative treatment of ankle fracture. METHOD: The current procedural terminology (CPT) billing codes were used to search the PearlDiver Patient Record Database and identify all patients who were treated for acute ankle fracture in the United States. The Medicare Standard Analytic Files were searchable between 2005 and 2011 and the United Healthcare Orthopedic Dataset from 2007 to 2011...