Dr. Jason T. Bariteau, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, and associates compared outcomes in 21 older patients and 21 younger patients who underwent total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) between the years 1999 and 2010. In all cases, the procedure was performed by the same surgeon.
Total ankle arthroplasty is becoming increasingly popular for the management of end-stage ankle arthritis. Given that elderly patients are the fastest growing age group in industrialized countries, it is important to determine whether older patients benefit from the procedure to the same extent as younger patients.
The investigators performed gait analysis preoperatively and at a minimum of 1 year postoperatively.
The analysis showed similar significant improvements in younger and older patients in temporal-spatial, kinematic and kinetic parameters.
