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Etiology of Ankle Osteoarthritis

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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution rate of etiologies leading to ankle arthritis and to quantify and compare the important clinical and radiologic variables among these etiologic groups. We evaluated data from 390 patients (406 ankles) who consulted our center because of painful end-stage ankle osteoarthritis (OA) by using medical history, physical examination, and radiography. Posttraumatic ankle OA was seen in 78% of the cases (n = 318), secondary arthritis in 13% (n = 52), and primary OA in 9% (n = 36). The average American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot score was 38 points (range, 0–74 points), range of motion was 22° (range, 0°−65°), and visual analog scale for pain was 6.8 (range, 2–10). Patients with posttraumatic end-stage ankle OA were younger than patients with primary OA. The average tibiotalar alignment was 88° (range, 51°–116°) and did not differ between the etiologic groups. Our study showed trauma is the main cause of ankle OA and primary OA is rare. In the majority of patients with ankle OA the average tibiotalar alignment is varus regardless of the underlying etiology.

Level of Evidence: Level IV, prognostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr Tak S. Fung, Statistics/University of Calgary, for verifying the statistical treatment of the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Basel, University Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Victor Valderrabano MD, PhD & Monika Horisberger MD

  2. Human Performance Laboratory, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Victor Valderrabano MD, PhD

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Victor Valderrabano MD, PhD, Iain Russell MD & Hugh Dougall MD

  4. Department of Orthopaedics, Cantonal Hospital Liestal, Liestal, Switzerland

    Beat Hintermann MD

Authors
  1. Victor Valderrabano MD, PhD
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  2. Monika Horisberger MD
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  3. Iain Russell MD
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  5. Beat Hintermann MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victor Valderrabano MD, PhD.

Additional information

One of the authors (VV) has received funding from the Swiss National Research Foundation (SNF Number PBZHB-106269).

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained.

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Valderrabano, V., Horisberger, M., Russell, I. et al. Etiology of Ankle Osteoarthritis. Clin Orthop Relat Res 467, 1800–1806 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0543-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0543-6

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