Abstract
Introduction
A functional assessment of 38 patients after ankle arthrodesis for the evaluation of the necessity of surgeons-specialisation was carried out by means of clinical evaluation and gait analysis after an average follow up of 30 months.
Methods
Scores were used to grade ankle function. Gate analysis was examined to determine the effect of arthrodesis on the ankle in relation to the surgeons’ experience. Under conditions of normal daily living, we found significant differences in life quality between patients operated upon by experts in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery (group A) and patients operated by general orthopaedic surgeons (group B).
Results
All patients in group A had orthograde stance. Wrong screw positioning and a failed neutral tibio-talar position were the main problems in group B. Due to this, the re-operation rate was 10%.
Conclusion
Our findings may have implications for surgical training programs and for regionalisation of complex surgical procedures.
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Sabine, K., Sascha, A., Peter, B. et al. Comparative study of outcomes after ankle arthrodesis shows higher complication rates in cases operated upon by general orthopaedic surgeons. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 41, 1163–1168 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-017-3459-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-017-3459-5