Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of 3D Printed Total Talus Arthroplasty

CATEGORY: Ankle, Ankle Arthritis, Hindfoot, Trauma INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Patients with talar avascular necrosis have limited treatment options to manage their symptoms. Historically, surgical options have been limited and can leave patients with little ankle motion and have high failure rates. The use of custom 3D printed total talar replacements (TTR) has arisen as a treatment option for these patients, possibly allowing for better preservation of hind-foot motion. Patients undergoing TTR will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in FAOS scores at one year after surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients who underwent a TTR over 2 years. Patient outcomes were reviewed including age, sex, comorbidities, etiology of talar pathology, number and type of prior surgeries, pre-operative and post-operative weight bearing radiographs, as well as FAOS and VAS scores, and range of motion. Data analysis performed with student T-test and multivariate regression. RESULTS: Results: FAOS scores showed statistically significant improvements post-operatively as compared to pre-operative scores. There was a statistically significant decrease in VAS pain scores from 7.0 pre-operatively to 3.4 post operatively. There was no significant difference in pre-operative and post-operative coronal and sagittal alignment on weight bearing radiographs. All FAOS sub-score shows statistically significant improvements, with the exception of the sports/recreation sub-scale, did show a trend towards improved outcomes (p =0.19). Average follow-up was 12.8 months. CONCLUSION: Our hypothesis was confirmed that these patients show statistically significant improvements in AOFS and VAS scores at 1 year. Sagittal and coronal alignment was well maintained at an average of 1 year following surgery. TTR represents an exciting treatment options for patients with talar avascular necrosis, though longer-term follow-up is needed.