Subtalar arthroscopic arthrodesis: Technique and outcomes

Purpose: The goal of this study was to describe the surgical technique and our results with arthroscopic posterior subtalar arthrodesis. Material and Methods: Retrospective case series of 65 patients (38 men and 27 women) averaging 50 years of age (range 21-72 years) undergoing posterior arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis using one or two percutaneous 6.5-7.3 mm screws between May 2004 and February 2011, with a mean follow-up of 57.5 months (range 24-105 months). Results: We achieved a 95.4% union rate after an average of 12.1 weeks (range 9 to 16 weeks). 12.3% of patients suffered complications, including superficial infection, nonunion and need for hardware removal. The AOFAS score improved from 51.5 points (19-61 points) preoperatively to 81.9 points (6094 points) in the postoperative period. Conclusions: We describe the surgical technique for arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis, which as proven to be a safe and reliable technique in our experience, with consistent improvements in AOFAS scores. (C) 2015 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.