Massive bilateral tarsal ankylosis and surgical correction: a case report.

Tarsal ankylosis is described as a feature of advanced juvenile or rheumatoid arthritis. Ankylosis involving more then one tarsal segment is uncommon. Incidental reports of massive tarsal ankylosis have been described in a case of juvenile spondyloarthropathy, a case of familial tarsal ankylosis, and, more recently, it was discovered in a prehistoric skeleton dating back to the Iron Age. We describe a rare case of bilateral massive tarsal ankylosis, and the surgical intervention used to treat the condition, in a 21-year-old female with no other features of any known forms of arthritis and no family history of the condition. Copyright 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.