Endoprosthetic treatment of the ankle

Chronic polyarthritis is the second most common cause regarding the etiology of upper ankle osteoarthritis after posttraumatic degenerative changes. Patient mobility is limited by this painful disease. Besides conservative treatment options, replacement of the upper ankle joint is an operative therapeutic option in eligible candidates which provides very good results. Besides epidemiological data, clinic presentation, diagnostic tools, treatment options and management of postoperative complications for patients with ankle osteoarthritis, this article presents the results of midterm outcome after total ankle replacement. The retrospective results of 44 patients after total ankle arthroplasty are presented. After an average follow-up of 53 months (range 20-98 months) the majority of results were good or excellent with respect to pain relief. Total ankle replacement is a good option for treating osteoarthritis of the ankle joint in rheumatoid arthritis when attention is paid to the eligibility of the patients.