Ankle arthroscopy: Short-term outcome in ten consecutive patients

Abstract

Fifteen ankle arthroscopies performed between 2005 and 2012 were analyzed to evaluate the risks and benefits of the procedure. All arthroscopies were performed by one surgeon using the same nonskeletal traction technique. Ten of the fifteen patients were succeed to reach to the follow up. Average follow-up was 22.65 months (range: 6-88). There were 8 males and 2 females patients. Average age was 45 (range: 34-66) years. The duration of preoperative symptoms averaged 40 (range: 5-120) months. Preoperative clinical and radiographic examination was performed. At the closing follow-up, clinical examination, visual analog scores and X-rays were repeated. The diagnosis was osteochondral lesions of the talus in five patients, anterior bony impingement in 3, and soft tissue impingement or synovitis in 2. Overall, in seven patients (70%) the operative results were good; eight patients (80%) were satisfied by the procedure. Those patients who had been diagnosed with diffuse synovitis or posttraumatic chondromalacia had poor results, whereas patients with a localized osteochondral lesion of the talus, or localized bony or soft tissue impingement experienced the best results. There were no complications from ankle arthroscopy in this series. Ankle arthroscopy appears to be a relatively low-risk procedure with substantial benefits, particularly in localized disease of the ankle joint. © 2013 OMU.