Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of subtalar joint arthrodesis with percutaneous opposite parallel cannulated screws for severe subtalar joint arthritis.
Methods: A total of 88 patients with 90 feet underwent subtalar joint fusion under four different incisions from April 2008 to April 2012. There were 56 males and 32 females with a mean age of 43.7 (15-74) years. All of them were evaluated by radiography or computed tomography (CT) scan and assessed by the rating scores of visual analog scale (VAS) and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS).
Results: Among them, 68 cases were followed up for an average of 18.5 (6-48) months. Fusion was confirmed on radiography or CT in 67 cases with a fusion rate of 98.5%. The mean duration of fusion was 13.8 (6-28) weeks, the mean VAS score decreased from 6.00 to 1.03 points (P < 0.05) and the mean AOFAS score improved from 57.0 to 80.6 points (P < 0.05) with a good-and-excellent rate of 80.8%.
Conclusion: Subtalar joint arthrodesis with percutaneous opposite parallel cannulated screws is recommend for severe subtalar joint arthritis. Such a procedure has a high fusion rate, excellent clinical outcomes and fewer complications.