Arthroscopic Chondral Ankle Treatment: A Multicenter Outcome Study

Introduction/Purpose: Chondral injuries of the ankle are common, often requiring surgical intervention. The purpose of this multicenter study of ankle osteochondral injuries is to report minimum one year outcomes for patients undergoing arthroscopic surgical treatment. Methods: Thirty-nine patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery to treat chondral ankle injuries between December 2017 and January 2022 were enrolled in the present multicenter study. Intraoperative information including diagnoses and procedures performed were recorded. All patients completed the Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS), the Veteran RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) Physical and Mental component scales, and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Sports subscale (FAAM-S). These measures were collected at the pre-operative visit within two weeks before surgery and at a minimum of one year post- operatively. Patient demographics and perioperative complications were also recorded. Paired T-test was used to determine statistical significance. Results: Of the thirty-nine patients with a minimum of 1 year follow-up, the average age was 46 years old and 51% were male. Average patient BMI was 29. Laterality was right in 54% of the patients, and 8% of surgeries were revisions. Relative to baseline, there was a significant decrease in VAS at minimum 1-year post-operatively (4.9 to 1.7, p< 0.001). Additionally, the VR-12 Physical was significantly higher at minimum 1-year post-operatively (35.4 to 46.8, p< 0.001). The VR-12 Mental was also significantly higher at minimum 1-year post-operatively (47.6 to 54.6, p=0.005). Finally, there was a significant increase in FAAM Sports (11.3 to 34.0, p< 0.001). There were no recorded complications. Conclusion: For patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery to treat chondral ankle injuries, our study found significant improvements in self-reported pain, overall physical health, overall mental health, and sport activities at minimum one-year follow- ups with no complications.