Arthroscopy combined with distraction arthroplasty to treat post-traumatic arthritis of ankle joint

Abstract

Objective To compare and analyze the clinical effect of arthroscopic surgery alone and arthroscopic surgery combined with distractionarthroplasty usingIlizarov external fixatorin the treatment of post-traumatic arthritis (PTA) of ankle joint. Methods From October 2016 to April 2018, 30 patients with early and medium stage of traumatic arthritis of ankle were analyzed retrospectively. Non-traumatic arthritis of ankle and end-stage PTA were excluded. Among them, those who underwent ankle arthroscopic surgery alone were classified into the control group (n=15), those who underwent arthroscopic surgery and distractionarthroplasty with Ilizarov external fixator joint were classified into the study group (n=15). The follow-up time were six months. The therapeutic effect, pain visual analogue scale (VAS), ankle joint function score (Kofoed score), and the change of quality of life were analyzed contrastively. Chi-square test or Fisher test was used for counting data and independent t-test was used for measurement data. Results The effective rate of treatment in the study group was higher than that in the control group (χ2=7.214, P<0.05), the VAS score of postoperative pain was significantly lower than that in the control group (t=10.342, P<0.05), the ankle joint function score (Kofoed score) was higher than that in the control group (t =10.452, P<0.05), and the quality of life in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion In the treatment of early and mid-stage post-traumatic arthritis of ankle, the effect ofarthroscopic surgery combined with distractionarthroplasty is better than that of arthroscopic surgery alone, which can be a choice in clinical treatment, but the long-term effect needs further study. Key words: Ankle joint; Wounds and injuries; Arthritis; Arthroscopy; Quality of life