title: Radiographic and functional outcomes following bilateral ankle fusions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ankle arthrodesis is considered to be a well-accepted technique for end-stage ankle arthritis. Our purpose was to evaluate outcomes of patients with bilateral ankle arthrodeses with attention to radiographic and functional outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of 31 patients were reviewed from 1977 through 2007. All patients had 1 year of clinical follow-up after their contralateral ankle arthrodesis, with an average follow-up of 11.2 years following the initial arthrodesis. Pertinent patient demographics and information pertaining to the operative procedure, complications, and subsequent adjacent joint fusions was collected. Radiographs were reviewed for time to fusion and adjacent joint arthritis. Functional outcomes were measured using the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle and Hindfoot scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten females and 21 males underwent bilateral ankle fusions at an average age of 57 years at the time of the initial fusion. The contralateral fusion occurred on average 3.1 years following the initial fusion. Radiographic fusion occurred 12 weeks following the initial fusion and 14 weeks following the contralateral fusion. There was a significant increase (P = .0001) in the average AOFAS score postoperatively in both ankles. The average FAAM score at last follow-up was 70. Adjacent joint arthritis developed in the majority of patients; however, most of the patients were free from adjacent fusions and reported their function as "normal" or "nearly normal" at last follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bilateral ankle arthrodesis was an acceptable treatment option for patients with bilateral, end-stage ankle arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Level IV, retrospective case series.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Houdek
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Ryssman
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA turner.norman@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Norman S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001174:Arthrodesis / Q000379:methods* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013639:Tarsal Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: ankle arthrodesis; bilateral; fusion; tibiotalar arthrodesis