How Young Is Too Young?

by Vince Vacketta, DPM

Major joint arthroplasty was, for many years, was considered a technology only accessible to patients who were 60 years old or older. The development of viable revision solutions in knee and hip arthroplasty has led to a significant decrease in  the average age of patients undergoing this procedure. 

Ankle arthritis is a young(er) patient disease

Unlike knee and hip arthritis, ankle arthritis is most commonly post-traumatic and tends to affect younger patients. This unique group of patients has led surgeons to examine total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) outcomes in this population. Recently published in Foot and Ankle International, authors Giambelluca et al. examined midterm outcomes of TAA in 58 individuals who were 50 years old or younger. Their study’s results are promising, showing a significant improvement in patient-reported outcome measures after an average follow-up of 8.8 years. Out of the 58 subjects, 11 required reoperation, but only one needed a revision of the metal componentry.

Peri-prosthetic cyst formation was the most common complication requiring secondary surgery.

Take home

While further research is still necessary, these results provide for using of TAA as an alternative to AA in the younger population, with relatively low complication rates.