Three-Year Follow-Up of a Traumatic Critical-Sized Tibial Bone Defect Treated with a 3D Printed Titanium Cage: A Case Report.

CASE: We report a case involving a 21-year-old woman who sustained a Grade III open pilon fracture of the left ankle during a motor vehicle accident that resulted in a 12-cm critical-sized bone defect (CSD) that was successfully treated with a three-dimensional (3D) printed titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) cage, a tibiotalocalcaneal intramedullary nail, and autogenous and allograft bone. The patient's reported outcome measures were comparable with those reported for non-CSD injuries at 3-year follow-up. The authors conclude that 3D printed titanium cages offers a unique approach to traumatic limb salvage for tibial CSD. CONCLUSIONS: 3D printing offers a novel solution to CSDs. To the best of our knowledge, this case report details the largest 3D printed cage, to date, used to treat tibial bone loss. This report describes a unique approach to traumatic limb salvage with favorable patient-reported outcomes and evidence of radiographic fusion at a 3-year follow up.

Team Approach: Metal Hypersensitivity in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

¼: As total joint arthroplasty volume continues to grow nationwide, more uncommon complications such as metal implant hypersensitivity are reported with greater frequency in the literature. ¼: Metal hypersensitivity is a challenging diagnosis given the potentially vague symptomology. It should be considered a diagnosis of exclusion, necessitating careful consideration of other potential etiologies of a failing implant before arriving at the final diagnosis of metal hypersensitivity. ¼: Patients can experience substantial morbidity from implant rejection and in severe, refractory cases may even require revision arthroplasty and conversion to a hypoallergenic implant. ¼: Given the complex nature of the condition, successful treatment of metal hypersensitivity to orthopaedic implants is best achieved through the use of a multidisciplinary, team-based approach. Immunologists, radiologists, and infectious disease physicians as well as orthopaedic surgeons and mechanical engineers are all vital in appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

The efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in osseous foot and ankle pathology: a review.

The purpose of this review is to develop evidence-based practices for the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to treat osseous pathologies of the lower extremity. There is moderate high-quality evidence to support the efficacy of PRP as a surgical augment to microfracture in osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). The literature supports a conceivable positive impact on bony union and osseous healing. There is insufficient evidence to support PRP injections in the conservative management of OLT or symptomatic ankle osteoarthritis. PRP may serve as a viable treatment method in the surgical augmentation of microfracture surgery in OLT and has promise for increasing bony union following surgical operations. Further high-quality, comparative studies with longer clinical follow-up are required.

The purpose of this review is to develop evidence-based practices for the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to treat bony pathologies of the lower extremity. There is moderate high-quality evidence to support the use of PRP in surgery to treat damage of both cartilage and bone in the foot. The literature supports a conceivable positive impact on bony healing after fracture. There is insufficient evidence to support PRP injections in the conservative management symptomatic ankle osteoarthritis. PRP may augment bone stimulation surgery in cases of cartilage and bone defects with promise for increasing bone to bone healing following surgical operations. Further high-quality, comparative studies with longer clinical follow-up are required.

Tibiopedal Motion Following Tendo-Achilles Lengthening or Gastrocnemius Recession in Total Ankle Replacement: A Comparative Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: End-stage ankle arthritis is a debilitating condition often necessitating total ankle replacement (TAR). Tendo-Achilles lengthening (TAL) and gastrocnemius recession (GR) are commonly performed with TAR to improve ankle dorsiflexion (DF). No studies to date have radiographically analyzed tibiopedal motion to guide surgical management. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a TAL or GR during TAR on radiographic tibiopedal range of motion (ROM). METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was conducted followed by a propensity score-matched analysis of 110 patients who underwent TAL (n = 26), GR (n = 29), or no lengthening procedure (n = 55) with TAR. Minimum of 1-year ROM radiographic follow-up was required. Exclusion criteria included (1) calcaneal osteotomies, (2) simultaneous or previous hindfoot or midfoot arthrodesis, (3) prior ankle arthrodesis, or (4) revision TAR. Demographic data were extracted from the TAR database. Radiographic assessment included tibiopedal dorsiflexion (DF) and plantarflexion (PF). RESULTS: DF improved by 2.8 degrees (P = .0286) and by 6.0 degrees (P < .0001) in the TAL and GR cohorts, respectively, with no difference in the control group (+0.7 degrees, P = .3764). PF was decreased by 4.5 degrees (P = .0152) and by 7.2 degrees (P = .0002) in the TAL and GR cohorts, respectively, with no difference in the control group (-0.2 degrees, P = .8546). Minimal differences were observed for total arc of motion for all 3 groups (control 0.5 degrees, GR -1.2 degrees, TAL -1.7 degrees), all of which were nonsignificant (all P > .05). There was no between-group difference in the change in overall arc of motion between the groups (P = .3599). GR resulted in a greater increase in DF (6.0 vs 2.8 degrees; P = .1074), with a reciprocal greater decrease in PF (7.2 vs 4.5 degrees; P = .2416) compared with the TAL cohort. CONCLUSION: Both TAL and GR increased postoperative DF; however, this was accompanied by a reciprocal loss in PF. Minimal differences were observed for total arc of motion. Patients should be counseled that concomitant procedures performed to increase DF will do so at the expense of PF. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Soft Tissue Foot and Ankle Pathology.

➢: The preparation methodology for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may have important clinical implications with varying effectiveness with leukocyte, platelet, and growth factor concentrations. ➢: There is high-quality evidence to support the superiority of PRP over corticosteroids in the case of chronic plantar fasciitis. ➢: There is moderate-quality to high-quality evidence for PRP's ability to increase tendon thickness with no capacity to decrease pain, increase function, or augment percutaneous tenotomy in Achilles tendinopathy. ➢: There is insufficient evidence to support PRP injections in the definitive treatment of Achilles tendon rupture. However, PRP may contribute to postoperative recovery after tendon rupture repair, but this requires further research. ➢: The biochemical theory supporting the clinical use of PRP must be reinforced with high-level evidence research. Based on the current literature, PRP may serve as a viable treatment method in chronic plantar fasciitis. Further high-quality, comparative studies with longer clinical follow-up are required to support recommendations for use of PRP in the treatment of Achilles tendon pathology.

Outcomes following total talus replacement: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of pathologic changes to the talus and surrounding joints presents a unique challenge to the foot and ankle surgeon. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the literature for unconstrained (no surrounding fusion or replacement) total talus replacement (TTR) and evaluate whether it leads to improved clinical and radiographic outcomes and appropriate safety metrics. METHODS: Concepts of talus and arthroplasty were searched in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Scopus from 2005 to 2021. Inclusion Criteria were 1) previous trauma to the talus, 2) post-traumatic or degenerative arthritis to the tibiotalar joint, 3) avascular necrosis of talus, 4) multiple failed prior interventions, and 5) inflammatory arthropathy to tibiotalar joint. Manuscripts in non-English languages or those with concomitant total ankle arthroplasty or revision arthroplasty were excluded. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies of 191 patients (196 ankles) were included. Nineteen studies utilized third generation implants, two studies used first generation (n = 9) and one study used second generation implants (n = 14) made largely of ceramic (n = 84), cobalt chrome (n = 49), or titanium (n = 24). Patient-reported outcome measures were favorable in all described categories (Table 4) with ten studies reporting an average postoperative change of + 2.92° of dorsiflexion and - 2.05° plantarflexion at final follow-up. The most common adverse outcome was adjacent joint arthritis with five studies reporting some degree of postoperative, degenerative changes in the surrounding joints (n = 52). CONCLUSION: TTR is an alternative to joint sacrificing procedures to maintain range of motion through the tibiotalar joint and allow for maintenance of normal foot and ankle biomechanics. Despite promising early- and mid-term outcomes, future, prospective, randomized research should be conducted to better assess survivorship and complication rates with direct comparison of TTR to existing forms of salvage options for advanced talar pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, Systematic Review of Level IV Studies.

Clinical Outcomes and Complications of Simultaneous or Sequential Bilateral Total Ankle Arthroplasty: A Single-Center Comparative Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The risk-benefit profiles of simultaneous total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) compared with sequential TAA continue to be debated. There are limited case series reporting outcomes after bilateral TAA, with no previous comparison of simultaneous TAA with sequential TAA. Patients with bilateral pathology represent a unique population with an overall more debilitating condition. Thus, we aimed to compare bilateral simultaneous and sequential TAAs, including perioperative complications and patient-reported outcome measures. METHODS: We performed a comparative cohort study of patients who underwent primary bilateral TAA, performed in a simultaneous or sequential fashion, from 2007 to 2019 at a single academic center. Data on patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, perioperative complications, reoperations, and implant failures were collected. Patient-reported outcome measures included preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain, Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) scores, and Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) scores. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients (100 ankles) were included, with 25 patients (50 ankles) each in the bilateral simultaneous and sequential cohorts. The mean follow-up was 52.2 ± 27.3 months (range, 24 to 109 months). The mean time between sequential TAAs was 17.5 ± 20.1 months (range, 3 to 74 months). The mean patient age was 64.3 ± 10.6 years (range, 21 to 76 years), and 32 (64.0%) were men. The majority of patients (28 patients [56.0%]) had primary osteoarthritis. Both cohorts had equivalent preoperative patient-reported outcome measures and experienced improvements in all measures, which were maintained at the final follow-up with no significant between-group differences (all p > 0.05). There were no differences between the simultaneous TAA group and the sequential TAA group in perioperative complication rates (22.0% compared with 24.0%; p = 0.7788), reoperations (12.0% compared with 10.0%; p = 0.7354), 5-year reoperation-free survival (88.0% compared with 90.0%; p = 0.4612), or failure-free survival (100%). One patient in the simultaneous TAA cohort required metal component revision at 8 years postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The patient-reported outcome measures, complications, and prosthesis survival of patients who underwent bilateral simultaneous TAA were comparable with those of patients who underwent bilateral sequential TAA. We advocate that simultaneous bilateral TAA is a safe and effective method for the treatment of bilateral end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Midterm Prospective Evaluation of Structural Allograft Transplantation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talar Shoulder.

BACKGROUND: In cases of large osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs), fresh structural or bulk osteochondral allograft transplantation has yielded favorable outcomes in several retrospective and few prospective case series. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate patients who received fresh structural allograft transplantation of the talar shoulder. METHODS: A prospective evaluation of patients who received a fresh structural allograft of an OLT was performed. Preoperative imaging included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computed tomography (CT) with plain radiographs. The following patient-reported outcomes questionnaires were administered preoperatively and yearly after surgery: 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and the Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA). Preoperative and postoperative imaging were evaluated for allograft assimilation, evidence of arthritic changes, or functional range of motion abnormalities. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with a mean age of 41.4 years (±14.1, range 18-69) underwent structural fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation to the talar shoulder and were included in this study. The mean follow-up was 56.2 months (±36.1, range 24-142). The majority of patients were female (n=17, 54.8%), reported some history of prior ankle trauma (n=21, 67.7%), and underwent prior ankle surgery (n=23, 74.2%). The mean lesion size on CT scan was 1879 mm3 (n = 27) compared to the mean lesion size of 3877 mm3 (n = 21) on MRI. There was a significant improvement in the mean preoperative VAS score (P < .0001), SF-36 score (P < .0005), SMFA bother index (P < .0015), and the SMFA function index (P < .0001) at final follow-up. A total of 15 (48.4%) patients underwent an additional surgery following their osteochondral allograft transplant, most commonly arthroscopic debridement or removal of hardware, performed at an average of 25.2 (±13.0) from their index procedure. There was one failure that required a total ankle replacement. The overall graft survival rate was 96.8%. CONCLUSION: Fresh, structural allograft transplantation resulted in significant improvement in patient-reported postoperative pain and function in patients suffering from OLTs. The graft survival rate was 96.8% at a mean of 56.2 months follow-up, with half of patients requiring a second procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prospective case series.

Outcomes of Surgical Reconstruction Using Custom 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Implants for Critical-Sized Bone Defects of the Foot and Ankle.

BACKGROUND: Treating critically sized defects (CSDs) of bone remains a significant challenge in foot and ankle surgery. Custom 3D-printed implants are being offered to a small but growing subset of patients as a salvage procedure in lieu of traditional alternates such as structural allografts after the patient has failed prior procedures. The long-term outcomes of 3D-printed implants are still unknown and understudied because of the limited number of cases and short follow-up durations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients who received custom 3D-printed implants to treat CSDs of the foot and ankle in an attempt to aid surgeons in selecting appropriate surgical candidates. METHODS: This was a retrospective study to assess surgical outcomes of patients who underwent implantation of a custom 3D-printed implant made with medical-grade titanium alloy powder (Ti-6Al-4V) to treat CSDs of the foot and ankle between June 1, 2014, and September 30, 2019. All patients had failed previous nonoperative or operative management before proceeding with treatment with a custom 3D-printed implant. Univariate and multivariate odds ratios (ORs) of a secondary surgery and implant removal were calculated for perioperative variables. RESULTS: There were 39 cases of patients who received a custom 3D-printed implant with at least 1 year of follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 27.0 (12-74) months. Thirteen of 39 cases (33.3%) required a secondary surgery and 10 of 39 (25.6%) required removal of the implant because of septic nonunion (6/10) or aseptic nonunion (4/10). The mean time to secondary surgery was 10 months (1-22). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that patients with neuropathy were more likely to require a secondary surgery with an OR of 5.76 (P = .03). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that 74% of patients who received a custom 3D-printed implant for CSDs did not require as subsequent surgery (minimum of 1-year follow-up). Neuropathy was significantly associated with the need for a secondary surgery. This is the largest series to date demonstrating the efficacy of 3D-printed custom titanium implants. As the number of cases using patient-specific 3D-printed titanium implant increases, larger cohorts of patients should be studied to identify other high-risk groups and possible interventions to improve surgical outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series.