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Category: Ankle Arthritis Introduction/Purpose: Total ankle replacements (TAR) are an increasingly common treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis but evidence on optimal alignment is not as well-established as in the hip and knee arthroplasty literature. Many believe that restoration of coronal and sagittal alignment is critical, while others suggest malalignment within a certain range has no impact on failure (Braito et al. 2015). There is controversy on the ideal TAR component positioning to minimize failure and requiring revision surgery. In this study we examine 9 radiographic measures of TARs, 6 of which have previously been described for TARs, 1 commonly used on preoperative ankles, and 2 novel measures on a database of 146 TARs to identify predictors of TAR re-operation. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (COFAS) database of ankle arthritis, selecting for all total ankle replacements done at a single institution by one of three fellowship-trained foot and ankle surgeons between September 2004 and June 2015. Those with complete series of anteroposterior and lateral standing ankle radiographs both preoperative and postoperative, and minimum of 1 year of follow-up were included. Measurements were performed on the postoperative radiographs and included: coronal and sagittal distal tibial component angles, talar center migration, talar tilt angle, lateral talar station, tibial axis-talus ratio, talar component gamma angle, anterior and posterior tibial component overhang and underhang. Standard descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Results: Of a total of 296 TARs, 146 were included and 14 TARs failed (9.6%), defined as requiring re-operation, 8 of which were metal-component revisions (5%). The TARs were stratified into those with measurements within previously published normal values and those that fall outside that range. Time to failure ranged from 1.4 to 9.6 years. Our preliminary data analysis showed that TARs with coronal distal tibial component angles between 87-93 degrees demonstrated an odds ratio of 0.11 for re-operation compared with those beyond that range, p=0.003. TARs with talar tilt angles of 0 degrees demonstrated an odds ratio of 0.24 for re-operation compared with those whose talar tilt was not zero, p=0.02. Conclusion: Post-operative coronal alignment of TARs, namely distal tibial component angle and talar tilt, appear to be associated with TAR-reoperation. Specifically, if the measurements are within previously described normal limits, the odds ratio for re-operation is low and statistically significant. Further data analysis is underway and may demonstrate more parameters of significance in predicting TAR failure.

Category: Ankle Arthritis Introduction/Purpose: Accepted surgical treatment options for end-stage ankle arthritis include total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) and ankle arthrodesis (AA). Although they have comparable clinical outcomes, TAA is growing in popularity and one reason for this is that TAA, compared to AA, better preserves range of motion and function at the ankle, and results in a gait pattern that more closely replicates normal controls. This has the theoretical benefit of protecting adjacent articulations and thereby limiting degenerative changes from occurring in other joints. Although multiple studies have analysed the impact of both TAA and AA on adjacent joint disease in the foot, little data exists on their impact on the knee. This study explored the relationships between knee pain, TAA and AA in patients with end-stage ankle arthritis. Methods: Prospectively collected data was used from the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (COFAS) database of ankle arthritis at a single institution by three fellowship-trained foot and ankle surgeons between January 2003 and July 2012. In total, 342 patients were studied, with patient demographics collected pre-operatively, and post-operative follow up performed at the 5 year mark. All patients were examined for the development or resolution of knee pain, as well as patient-reported outcome measures including the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale (AOS). Using a linear regression model, a multivariate analysis was performed to examine the relationship between knee pain, TAAs and AAs. Results: In the 233 patients that presented without knee pain pre-operatively, 22% who underwent TAA developed knee pain at 5 years, compared to 16% of AA patients (p>0.05). In this group, patients who underwent TAA had statistically significant better outcomes in terms of AOS Pain (p0.05) between patients who underwent TAA and AA. Compared with patients who did not have knee pain pre-operatively, the presence of pre-operative knee pain resulted in worse AOS (p

Category: Bunion Introduction/Purpose: Little is known about the effect of delayed access to bunion correction (Hallux Valgus) surgery on patient-reported outcomes. The objective of this study is to measure the association between delayed access to bunion correction surgery and post-operative patient-reported outcomes. Methods: This study prospectively recruited patients to complete pre-operative patient-reported outcomes measuring pain, depression and foot and ankle health. Patients complete the same patient-reported outcomes six months post-operatively. Linear regression models measured outcomes, adjusting for baseline health, age category, sex, comorbidities and socio-economic status. Results: This study included 74 participants, a response rate of 53% among eligible patients. Among participants, 58.9% underwent a Lapidus procedure, the remainder underwent a corrective osteotomy. There was no relationship between post-operative depression and pain scores with duration of wait time, adjusting for patient characteristics. Longer waits for bunion correction surgery, adjusting for other factors, were associated with smaller gains in health in four of the five domains of measurement of foot and ankle health. Conclusion: At the six-month post-operative time point, prolonged wait times were detrimental to foot and ankle outcomes in four of the five domains of the foot and ankle specific PRO. Policies for expediting access for symptomatic hallux valgus are warranted to mitigate poorer long-term outcomes.

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Hallux rigidus is the most common arthritic condition of the foot. A prospective, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial of first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) hemiarthroplasty with a synthetic polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel implant, for moderate to severe hallux rigidus, demonstrated maintenance of MTPJ active dorsiflexion motion and excellent pain relief; additionally, the trial showed functional outcomes and safety equivalent to first MTPJ arthrodesis at 24 months (Baumhauer et al. 2016; FAI:37(5):457-469). Recognizing that many hemiarthroplasty and total toe implants have initially good results that deteriorate over time, the purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the safety and efficacy outcomes for the synthetic cartilage implant population and to determine if the excellent outcomes were maintained at >5 years. Methods: One hundred and fifty-two patients underwent implant hemiarthroplasty in the original trial; 14 underwent implant removal and conversion to fusion and 3 were lost to follow-up during the first 24 months, leaving 135 eligible for this study. One hundred patients were evaluated at 5+ years; 5 could not be reached for follow-up. Thirty are pending consent, follow-up, and/or data entry; their status will be available for inclusion at the conference presentation. Patients completed a pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Sports and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scores, preoperatively and at 2, 6, 12, 26, 52, 104 and 260 weeks postoperatively. Minimal clinically important differences are: =30% difference for pain VAS, 9 points for FAAM Sports, and 8 points for FAAM ADL. Great toe active dorsiflexion, weight-bearing radiographs, secondary procedures, and safety parameters were evaluated. Results: Of 100 synthetic cartilage implant hemiarthroplasty patients available at mean 5.8 years follow-up (SD ±0.7; range: 4.4- 7.4), 5 underwent implant removal and conversion to fusion in years 2-5 (Figure 1), and 2 underwent subsequent surgical interventions during the pivotal trial and were censored, leaving 93 patients for evaluation. Pain and function outcomes observed at 5.8 years were similar to those at 2 years (Figure 1). VAS Pain and FAAM Sports Scores were maintained or improved at 5.8 years follow-up, but these differences were not clinically significant. Joint motion was maintained at 5.8 years. No evidence of avascular necrosis, device migration or fragmentation was observed upon independent radiographic review. Eighty-six percent of patients agreed their overall well-being had improved, and 92% would have the procedure again. Conclusion: Clinical and safety outcomes of patients having undergone synthetic cartilage implant hemiarthroplasty for the surgical treatment of hallux rigidus were previously demonstrated to be non-inferior to the gold standard treatment, MTPJ fusion, at 2 years. Prospectively determined outcomes for 100/135 of these implant hemiarthroplasty patients at 5.8 years are similar to those reported at 2 years. Longer-term results demonstrate that clinical and safety outcomes for synthetic cartilage implant hemiarthroplasty are durable, and that the implant remains a viable treatment option to decrease pain, improve function and maintain motion for advanced hallux rigidus.