Foot and Ankle Surgery Institute Editorial Team

Although arthrodesis is the gold standard for midfoot arthritis, there is limited data on comparing the outcomes of arthrodesis constructs.¹ A poster presented at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting compared the complication rates of staples, screws, and plates in patients undergoing midfoot arthrodesis.²
 
The poster was a retrospective analysis of 206 joints in 154 patients who had arthrodesis from 2010–13.² Of those patients, 38 had screw fixation, 29 had staple fixation, 72 had screw plus plate fixation, 19 had screw plus staple fixation, and 7 had plate plus screw plus staple fixation.
 
The authors found that the revision rate of staple plus screw constructs was 27.2%, higher than patients who had only staples (5.4%) or only screws (5.3%).² In addition, the poster noted that revisions due to infection were more common in the second tarsometatarsal joint at 3.9% compared to no revisions in the naviculocuneiform joint.
 
The authors concluded that increased hardware in the midfoot’s relatively confined space increases the risk of reoperation, urging surgeons only to use use such hardware deliberately.
 
References
1. Nemec SA, Habbu RA, Anderson JG, Bohay DR. Outcomes following midfoot arthrodesis for primary arthritis. Foot Ankle Int. 2011;32(4):355-61.
2. Dalloul JM, Balu AR, Shen PC, et al. Assessing complication rates of constructs used in midfoot arthrodesis. e-Poster presented at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting. September 11-14, 2024. Vancouver, Canada.