Ankle arthritis is becoming more and more common. The search for solutions that preserve joint function has led to a new generation of prosthesis with three components and more degrees of freedom. This paper presents the results achieved in ten patients treated with the HINTEGRA Prosthesis (Integra, New Deal), a joint action of the Foot and Ankle Teams of DOT of Unifesp - Escola Paulista de Medicina and the School of Medicine of USP - Universidade de São Paulo. The ten patients (six women and four men), aged between 29 and 66 years, underwent a surgical procedure according to Hinterman's technique, from January to June 2005. They were evaluated at pre-arranged intervals, and the data were submitted to statistical analysis. The surgery led to a significant improvement in ankle mobility. Radiological studies showed no signs of loosening or failure in the prosthetic components in any of the patients studied. Although the rate of complications in our sample was high, it was equivalent to those of other authors, and directly represents the long, steep learning curve associate with this kind of procedure. At the end of four years, there was a significant reduction in the pain, and an improvement in functional pattern of the patients, with AOFAS and Hinterman scores indicating 20% excellent, 70% good, and 10% poor results. Despite the drawbacks, treatment of ankle arthritis through total arthroplasty with the HINTEGRA prosthesis proved to be capable of giving good results over an average observation period of four years.
Ankle joint; Arthrosis; Osteoarthritis; Arthroplasty; Prostheses and implants
