Effect of percutaneous and arthroscopically assisted osteosynthesis of talar body fractures

BACKGROUND: Talar fractures are relatively uncommon, and the complex anatomy of the talus impedes their visualization, reduction, and fixation without performing an arthrotomy or osteotomy. To date, few studies have evaluated the complications of arthroscopically assisted percutaneous talar osteosynthesis. This clinical retrospective study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this procedure according to the complications and functional outcomes. METHODS: Arthroscopically assisted percutaneous talar osteosynthesis was performed in 15 patients (10 men and 5 women) with 16 fractures (one bilateral). The mean patient age was 31 years (range, 14–52 years). The Sneppen classification of the fractures was type II in 14 cases and type III in 2 cases. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were followed up for 36 months on average (range, 18–65 months). No skin infection, osteomyelitis, or skin necrosis was observed in any patient. During the follow-up, no bony non-union or delayed union was found. At the final follow-up, 2 out of the 15 patients (13.3%) had peri-talar osteoarthritis. The ankle–hindfoot pain was absent in 11 patients (12 ankles) and mild in 4 patients. Based on the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle–hindfoot scale, functional results were excellent in 7 ankles and good in 9 ankles. The mean AOFAS ankle–hindoot score of the patients was 85.7 (range, 79–93). CONCLUSION: Arthroscopically assisted percutaneous talar osteosynthesis is a reliable and feasible technique that yields good clinical outcomes.