New Ankle Replacement Surgery

Innovative ankle replacement surgery that uses simple devices to preserve motion and relieve pain is better than ankle fusion, according to an expert in the field.

"In patients with severe arthritis in their ankle(s) due to injury or degenerative conditions, replacement surgery is a dramatic improvement over traditional ankle fusion and offers important benefits,” explained Steven Haddad, M.D., of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and assistant professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago, IL, USA).

Dr. Haddad is a pioneer in the field of ankle replacement surgery. "For instance, ankle fusion actually locks the ankle by joining the three bones that make up the joint (the tibia and fibula in the lower leg and the talus in the foot),” said Dr. Haddad. "Over time, this causes stiffness and limited mobility, and adjacent joints may become arthritic.”

In a recent replacement surgery for two ankles, Dr. Haddad approached each injured ankle from the front of the joint, removed the screws and plates that held each ankle together, and embedded a device called the Agility ankle. This linked the three bones of the ankle joint and created a smooth-guiding mechanism that distributes a patient's body weight equally among these bones. Replacement ankles have a longevity of about 15 years, which is similar to hip and knee replacement devices.

"Although I have to minimize repetitive stress on my ankles and I avoid activities like jogging, I'm free to enjoy my interests and active lifestyle once again,” said Barbara Pulfiser, who had the replacement surgery. "Amazingly, my scars are only a few inches long.”




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