Category: Foot & Ankle Specialists

Allografts, or tissues transplanted between different members of the same species, actually have their historical background in antiquity. Cosmas and Damian are considered the patron saints of al-lograft surgery. They were twin brothers and physicians credited with the third century grafting of a deceased Ethiopian’s leg to one of their patients whose leg had ulcerated.

This videotape covers the technique for triple arthrodesis of the foot using autogenous bone graft. We will start with preoperative planning using a skeletal model of the foot, some preoperative clinical assessment, and preoperative review of the patient’s radiographs.

The authors of this paper describe their technique for accomplishing this form of ankle and hindfoot arthrodesis with an intramedullary ankle fusion nail, and conclude that intramedullary nailing is a solid method of fixation for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis in the appropriately selected patients.

Since the end of the 19th century, arthrodesis has been an accepted treatment for painful arthritis of the ankle and subtalar joints.3 For the purpose of this and other orthopaedic articles, surgical fusion of the ankle (tibiotalar) and subtalar (talocalcaneal) joints at the same operative sitting is termed tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis.

Since the report by Albert in 1882, arthrodesis has been an accepted treatment for painful arthritis of the ankle and subtalar joints.3For the purpose of this and other orthopaedic articles, surgical fusion of the ankle (tibiotalar) and subtalar (talocalcaneal) joints at the same operative sitting will be termed tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis.

The goals of ankle and hindfoot arthrodesis are the relief of pain and deformity and the development of a solid fusion. Since the end of the 19th Century, arthrodesis has been an accepted treatment for painful arthritis of the ankle and subtalar joints.

Primary osteoarthrosis, formerly known as degenerative joint disease, is characterized by loss of joint cartilage and hypertrophy of bone. Osteoarthrosis is a term used to de-emphasize the inflammatory component of this disorder when it was formerly described as osteoarthritis or hypertrophic arthritis.

With springtime in Louisville upon us, the primary care physician and the orthopaedist alike can expect to see more than his or her fair share of ankle sprains. This is an injury that of course occurs year round, but seems to occur much more frequently this time of year.

The single axis subtalar joint is a hinge joining the talus and calcaneus that allows adaptation of the foot on uneven ground. This joint modifies the forces of ambulation imposed on the rest of the skeleton and influences the performance of the more distal foot articulations as well.

The goal of ankle and hindfoot reconstruction should always be to address the presenting concerns of the patient and the deformity, as well as to achieve a stable, functional and plantigrade foot. These goals are accomplished by appropriate preoperative patient assessment and planning, as well as by employing meticulous intraoperative technique and aftercare.