Arthroscopic tibiotalar and subtalar joint arthrodesis.

Arthroscopy has become indispensable for performing tibiotalar and subtalar arthrodesis. Now in 2015, it is the gold-standard surgical technique, and open surgery is reserved only for cases in which arthroscopy is contraindicated: material ablation after consolidation failure, osteophytes precluding a work chamber, excentric talus, severe malunion, bone defect requiring grafting, associated midfoot deformity, etc. The first reports of arthroscopic tibiotalar and subtalar arthrodesis date from the early 1990s. Consolidation rates were comparable to open surgery, but with significantly fewer postoperative complications: infection, skin necrosis, etc. Arthroscopy was for many years reserved to moderate deformity, with frontal or sagittal deviation less than 10°. The recent literature, however, seems to extend indications, the only restriction being the surgeon's experience. Tibiotalar arthrodesis on a posterior arthroscopic approach remains little used. And yet the posterior work chamber is much larger, and initial series showed consolidation rates similar to those of an anterior approach. The surgical technique for posterior tibiotalar arthrodesis was described by Van Dijk et al., initially using a posterior para-Achilles approach. This may be hampered by posterior osteophytes or ankylosis of the subtalar joint line (revision of non-consolidated arthrodesis, sequelae of calcaneal thalamus fracture) and is now used only by foot and ankle specialists. Posterior double tibiotalar-subtalar arthrodesis, described by Devos Bevernage et al., is facilitated by transplantar calcaneo-talo-tibial intramedullary nailing.