title: Safety and efficiency of posterior arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the safety and efficiency of posterior arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten fresh-frozen human lower leg specimens without evidence of previous surgery to the foot and ankle were selected. Arthroscopic debridement of the tibiotalar joint was performed in all specimens using a standardized protocol. Anatomical dissections were regarded the gold standard for safety analysis. To evaluate the efficacy of the posterior ankle arthroscopic arthrodesis, the debrided articular tibiotalar parts were resected and subsequently analysed using Image-analysis software, Image J (Wayne Rasband, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In none of the specimens, iatrogenic damage was detected during the anatomical dissection following the posterior ankle arthroscopic procedure. A total talar joint surface area of 95 % and total tibial joint surface area of 96 % was addressed during the arthroscopic debridement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The posterior ankle arthroscopic arthrodesis can be regarded safe and is also highly effective in the debridement of cartilage, resulting in optimal biology for fusion to occur. Therefore, this new arthroscopic technique potentially will diminish existing non-union rates for the fusion of the ankle joint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orbis Medical Center, Sittard, The Netherlands.|Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roel P M
authors.initials: RPM
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter A J
authors.initials: PAJ
authors.lastname: de Leeuw
authors.affiliation: Human Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Laboratory of Arthroscopic and Surgical Anatomy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Pau
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Golano
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C Niek
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.m.kerkhoffs@amc.nl.
authors.forename: Gino M M J
authors.initials: GMMJ
authors.lastname: Kerkhoffs
mesh_terms: D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D001174:Arthrodesis / Q000379:methods*; D001182:Arthroscopy; D002102:Cadaver; D002356:Cartilage / Q000601:surgery; D003646:Debridement; D006801:Humans