title: Bilateral Ankle and Subtalar Joint Fusion Secondary to Guillain Barré-Induced Foot Drop.
abstract: Guillain-Barré syndrome is a serious disorder that occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. This leads to nerve inflammation and damage that can cause muscle weakness and/or paralysis, including foot drop. Therapy ranges from supportive measures, such as physical therapy, to surgical intervention. It appears from the published data that these patients, generally, have been left to their own devices, because no known cure is available, necessitating reliance on others for their daily activities and ambulation. We present a unique surgical option, with a follow-up period of 24 months, in which bilateral subtalar and ankle fusion allowed unassisted ambulation to a patient who might otherwise have never walked again.
authors.affiliation: Resident Physician, Podiatric Surgery Department, PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg, PA. Electronic address: jayseideldpm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: Resident Physician, Podiatric Surgery Department, PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg, PA.
authors.forename: Bindu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.affiliation: Chief, Podiatric Surgery Department, PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg, PA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D001174:Arthrodesis; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013380:Subtalar Joint / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: ankle arthrodesis; gait; neurologic disorders; posterior tibial tendon dysfunction