title: Salvage of severe ankle varus deformity with soft tissue and bone rebalancing.
abstract: The etiology of ankle varus is multifactorial. Treatment recommendations after failed conservative care include hindfoot and ankle fusions or total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) with ligament rebalancing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate chronic varus ankle deformities through corrective calcaneal osteotomies and lateral soft tissue reconstruction. All skeletally mature patients with at least 5 degrees of ankle varus were included in the study. Pre and postoperative radiographs were retrospectively reviewed measuring talar tilt. All patients had a lateral closing wedge (Dwyer) calcaneal osteotomy, joint debridement, and lateral ankle ligament reconstruction. Eight feet were included in the study. The average follow-up time was 20.6 months. Six patients (six feet) were asymptomatic and did not have any additional surgery at their most recent follow-up. Two patients failed treatment, requiring surgical intervention for persistent pain and/or deformity. The average postoperative ankle varus correction overall was 4.9 degrees. We found ankle varus on average of less than 10 degrees can be reliably corrected with a combination of lateral ligament reconstruction and calcaneal osteotomy. Approximately 50% of the deformity was corrected when comparing pre and postoperative talar tilt values. In patients with varus deformity greater than 10 degrees preoperatively, persistent varus may occur.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center, 300 Polaris Parkway, Suite 2000, Westerville, OH 43082, USA. ofacresearch@orthofootankle.com
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: DeCarbo
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.forename: Gregory C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Berlet
authors.forename: Christopher F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Hyer
authors.forename: Terrence M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Philbin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050488:Hallux Varus / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017844:Lateral Ligament, Ankle / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013639:Tarsal Bones / Q000601:surgery*; D013709:Tendon Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome