• Thomas S Roukis and Rachel B Kang.
• Orthopaedic Center, Gundersen Healthcare System, La Crosse, WI. Electronic address: tsroukis@gundersenhealth.org.
• J Foot Ankle Surg. 2016 Jul 1; 55 (4): 857-67.

AbstractTibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis stabilized with retrograde intramedullary nail fixation is associated with a high incidence of complications. This is especially true when performed with a bulk structural allograft and poor soft tissue quality. In select high-risk limb salvage cases, we have augmented tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis procedures stabilized using retrograde intramedullary nail fixation with a vascularized pedicled fibular onlay bone graft. We present the data from 10 such procedures with a mean follow-up period of 10.9 ± 5.4 (range 6 to 20) months involving 10 patients (9 males and 1 female). The etiology was avascular osteonecrosis of the talus and/or distal tibia and a resultant large volume cavitary bone defect (8 ankles), severe equinocavovarus contracture (1 ankle), and failed total ankle replacement (1 ankle). A frozen femoral head bulk allograft was used twice, a whole frozen talus allograft once, and a freeze-dried calcaneal allograft once. The fibula was mobilized with intact musculoperiosteal perforating branches of the peroneal artery as a vascularized pedicle onlay bone graft fixated with a screw and washer construct. The mean fibular graft length was 10.2 ± 2.3 cm. The mean interval to radiographic fusion was 2.6 ± 0.6 months and to weightbearing was 3.1 ± 1.4 months. Two stable bulk allograft-host bone and fibular graft-host bone nonunions occurred after intramedullary nail hardware failure. Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis augmented by vascularized pedicled fibular graft stabilized with retrograde compression intramedullary nail fixation offers a reliable option for complex salvage situations when few other options exist. Copyright © 2016 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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