Distal Femoral Locking Plates for Tibiotalocalcaneal Fusions in the Charcot Ankle: A retrospective study

This paper presents a retrospective case series with chart and radiographic review of four patients with Charcot neuroarthropathy and associated ankle valgus. All four patients underwent tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis using a distal femoral locking plate combined with external ring fixation for rigid axial compression. A 12 month follow-up was obtained. All four TTC arthrodeses were performed by the same surgeon (BH) including preoperative and postoperative evaluation and care. Outcomes were deemed successful with evidence of radiographic consolidation across the fusion sites. Outcomes were considered failures in the presence of non-union or amputation. Three patients had satisfactory outcomes with only minor complications. One patient had failure of the procedure with development of osteomyelitis and ultimately had a below knee amputation. Although this was a small review, on average, osseous consolidation was appreciated in 77 days for those patients that had successful outcomes. Larger retrospective or even prospective studies are needed to confirm the use of tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis using a distal femoral locking plate and external ring fixation in Charcot arthropathy. This small case series shows promise to the efficacy of distal femoral locking plates for tibiotalocalcaneal fusions.