Pascal Rippstein | PubMed Health

PubMed2005

[Ankle arthrodesis using the arthroscopic technique].

OBJECTIVE: Fast, safe and reliable ankle fusion through minimally invasive technique. INDICATIONS: Painful ankle arthritis unresponsive to conservative treatment. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Severe axial malalignment of ankle. Significant anteroposterior talar translation. Extensive bone defect. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Standard anteromedial and anterolateral arthroscopic portals. Excision of all anterior hypertrophic synovium using a soft-tissue shaver. Removal of anterior osteophytes with a motorized arthroscopic abrader (burr) to get better access to the joint. Removal of the remaining ankle cartilage using a sharp curette. Superficial opening of the subchondral bone with a motorized burr and deeper opening with an osteotome. Without arthroscopy but under image intensification, ankle fixation in neutral position by inserting two (or three) 6.5-mm cancellous lag screws from the tibia (medial and lateral) into the talus. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Partial weight bearing (15 kg) with a removable boot for 6 weeks. Then, first radiologic follow-up and in the presence of evidence of consolidation, full weight bearing with the boot for additional 2-4 weeks. RESULTS: Between September 1998 and February 2003, 28 arthroscopic ankle arthrodeses were performed. 23 ankles (82%) showed definite radiologic evidence of consolidation at 6 weeks postoperatively; patients were allowed to bear full weight without any consequences. All patients except two (93%) showed complete ankle fusion at their last radiologic follow-up at 1 year. Both patients with absent fusion were smokers; one of them was asymptomatic (stable fibrous union) and the other's ankle finally fused after surgical revision with open technique and bone grafting.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Limited open repair of Achilles tendon ruptures: a technique with a new instrument and findings of a prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Controversy persists regarding the ideal surgical technique for repair of a ruptured Achilles tendon. We propose a limited open procedure with use of an instrument that provides the advantage of an open repair but avoids the soft-tissue problems with which open repair has been associated. METHODS: We first performed a cadaver study in order to develop an instrument and a technique for a limited open repair and then, using this procedure in conjunction with an early functional rehabilitation protocol, we began a prospective multicenter study. We are reporting on the first eighty-seven patients consecutively treated with the new instrument and followed for an average of twenty-six months (range, eighteen to forty-two months). All patients were assessed clinically and with an enhanced American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) rating score. In addition, all fifty patients who had been followed for at least twenty-four months were further evaluated with isokinetic dynamometry. RESULTS: Four patients were lost to follow-up and one patient died, which left eighty-two patients for evaluation. There were no problems with wound-healing, and there were no infections. No patient noted a sensory disturbance in the sural nerve distribution. All patients returned to their previous professional or sporting activities. The mean AOFAS score was 96 points (range, 85 to 100 points). Isokinetic dynamometry showed no significant difference in strength between the injured and uninjured limbs of the fifty patients who were tested. Complications occurred in three patients. Two of them were noncompliant and removed the orthosis, so that the repair was disrupted by a new injury within the first three weeks postoperatively. One patient fell twelve weeks after the surgery and sustained a rerupture. All three new injuries were repaired with an open surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: This new procedure allows the surgeon to precisely visualize and control the tendon ends while avoiding excessive dissection and disturbance of local vascularity and minimizing nerve and wound-healing problems. Such a technique, along with an early functional rehabilitation program, allowed us to achieve a high rate of successful results with minimal morbidity.

Achilles Tendon↗