Publication:

Risk factors for delayed and non-union following transfibular ankle arthrodesis

Background This study was to identify risk factors associated with delayed union and non-union in patients who underwent transfibular ankle arthrodesis.

Methods This study included 43 patients who underwent ankle arthrodesis using transfibular approach between January 2012 and September 2018 and were followed up for more than 12 months. The patients were divided into two groups according to delayed union or non-union. Group A included patients who had delayed union or non-union and Group B included patients without these complications. Variables that could contribute to non-union including etiologies, age, chronic renal failure, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, pre-operative talus bone quality, pre-operative angulation of the talus and fixation methods were evaluated.

Results The mean time to bone union was 12.7±7.25 weeks. Group A included 12 patients with 5 cases of non-union and 7 cases of delayed union and group B included 31 patients. Infection of the ankle joint (OR, 1.73; p=0.041) was risk factor for non-union and delayed union on the basis of multivariate analysis.

Conclusions We concluded that infection of the ankle joint is the most significant risk factor for delayed union and nonunion in our study. Careful attention should be paid preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively to patients who have this risk factor to obtain a satisfactory surgical outcome.