Deformity and Clinical Outcomes Following Operative Correction of Charcot Foot: A New Classification With Implications for Treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 207
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
New Classification ◽  
Operative Correction

Deformity and Clinical Outcomes Following Operative Correction of Charcot Ankle

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Harkin ◽  
Andrew M. Schneider ◽  
Michael Murphy ◽  
Adam P. Schiff ◽  
Michael S. Pinzur
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Chronic Wounds ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Operative Correction ◽  
Therapeutic Footwear

Background: Deformity associated with Charcot foot arthropathy leads to a poor quality of life in affected individuals. Deformity in the midfoot appears to be predictive of clinical outcomes following operative correction. The goal of this retrospective study was to determine if that same methodology could be applied to patients treated for Charcot foot arthropathy involving the ankle joint. Methods: Fifty-six consecutive patients underwent operative reconstruction of Charcot foot deformity involving the ankle joint by a single surgeon over a 14-year period. Preoperative patient characteristics and tibiotalar alignment, were recorded. Surgical treatment included single-stage debridement of active infection and ankle arthrodesis with application of a circular external fixator when infection was present (39 of 56, 69.6%) or retrograde locked intramedullary nailing in the absence of infection (17 of 56, 30.3%). Clinical outcomes were graded based on limb salvage, resolution of infection and chronic wounds, and the ability to ambulate with therapeutic footwear or accommodative orthoses. The average follow-up was 7.5 (range 1.1-14.0) years. Results: One patient died at 134.3 weeks following surgery of unrelated causes and 8 underwent amputation. Twenty-eight of 56 patients (50.0%) achieved a favorable (excellent or good) clinical outcome. There was no significant association between pre- or postoperative alignment and clinical outcomes. Insulin-dependent diabetics were approximately 3 times more likely to have a poor clinical outcome. Conclusions: Operative correction of Charcot deformity involving the ankle joint was associated with a high complication rate and risk for failure. The lessons learned from this highly comorbid patient population with complex deformities can be used as a benchmark for applying modern surgical techniques. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

Deformity and Clinical Outcomes Following Operative Correction of Charcot Foot: A New Classification With Implications for Treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Pinzur ◽  
Adam P. Schiff
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Valgus Deformity ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Operative Correction ◽  
Therapeutic Footwear ◽  
Talocalcaneal Joint ◽  
Favorable Clinical Outcome

Background: The historic treatment of Charcot foot arthropathy has been immobilization during the active phase of the disease process, followed by accommodative bracing of the acquired deformity. Evidence derived from modern patient-reported outcomes investigations has convinced many surgeons to attempt operative correction of the acquired deformity with a goal of improving quality of life. Methods: Over a 12-year period, 214 patients (9 bilateral) underwent reconstruction of the acquired deformity associated with midtarsal Charcot foot arthropathy. Over time, 3 patterns of deformity were observed based on weight-bearing pattern, relationship of the forefoot to the hindfoot, and integrity of the talocalcaneal joint. A valgus deformity pattern was present in 138, varus in 48, and dislocation of the talocalcaneal joint in 37. A consistent operative strategy was employed. Surgery included percutaneous tendon-Achilles lengthening, resection of infection when present, attempted correction of the structural deformity by wedge resection at the apex of the deformity, and immobilization with a 3-level static circular external fixator. Additional deformity pattern-specific procedures were added over time. Clinical outcomes were based on the historic metrics of limb salvage and resolution of infection and the functional metric of the ability to walk with commercially available therapeutic footwear. Results: Seven patients died within a year of surgery, and 15 underwent partial- or whole-foot amputation. Overall, 173 of 223 feet (77.6%) achieved a favorable clinical outcome. Patients with a valgus deformity pattern were most likely to achieve a favorable clinical outcome (120 of 138, 87.0%). Patients with a dislocation pattern were less likely to achieve a favorable clinical outcome (26 of 37, 70.3%), and those with a varus deformity pattern were least likely to achieve a favorable clinical outcome (27 of 48, 56.3%). Conclusions: Operative correction of the acquired deformity of Charcot foot arthropathy was performed with a goal of improving quality of life. Stratification of patients by deformity pattern allowed alterations of the basic surgery to afford improved outcomes. In addition to achieving historic goals of resolution of infection and limb salvage, almost 80% of the patients were able to achieve the functional goal of independent ambulation with commercially available therapeutic footwear. The clinical outcomes achieved in this retrospective case series appear to support the modern paradigm of operative correction of deformity in this complex patient population. This realistic appreciation of outcome expectations should both be helpful in counseling patients on the risk-benefit ratio associated with surgery and provide a benchmark to measure newer strategies of treatment. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.

scholarly journals Deformity and Clinical Outcomes Following Surgical Correction of Charcot Ankle

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0043
Author(s):  
Stephen Wallace ◽  
Tomas E. Liskutin ◽  
Adam P. Schiff ◽  
Michael S. Pinzur
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Chronic Wounds ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Surgical Correction ◽  
Surgical Reconstruction ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Therapeutic Footwear

Category: Ankle, Ankle Arthritis, Diabetes, Hindfoot, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Deformity associated with Charcot Foot Arthropathy leads to a poor quality of life in affected individuals. Deformity in the midfoot appears to be predictive of clinical outcomes following surgical correction. The goal of this retrospective study was to determine if that same methodology could be applied to patients treated for Charcot Foot Arthropathy involving the ankle joint. Methods: Fifty-six consecutive patients underwent surgical reconstruction of Charcot Foot deformity involving the ankle joint by a single surgeon over a fourteen year period. Preoperative patient characteristics and tibiotalar alignment, were recorded. Surgical treatment included single stage debridement of active infection and ankle arthrodesis with application of a circular external fixator when infection was present (39 of 56, 69.6%) or retrograde locked intramedullary nailing in the absence of infection (17 of 56, 30.3%). Clinical outcomes were graded based on limb salvage, resolution of infection and chronic wounds, and the ability to ambulate with therapeutic footwear or accommodative orthoses. The average follow-up was 7.5 (range 1.1-14.0) years. Results: One patient died at 134.3 weeks following surgery of unrelated causes and 8 underwent amputation. Twenty eight of 56 patients (50.0%) achieved a favorable (excellent or good) clinical outcome. There was no significant association between preoperative or postoperative alignment and clinical outcomes. Insulin-dependent diabetics were approximately 3 times more likely to have a poor clinical outcome. Conclusion: Surgical correction of Charcot deformity involving the ankle joint was associated with a high complication rate and risk for failure. The lessons learned from this highly co-morbid patient population with complex deformities can be used as a benchmark for applying modern surgical techniques.

Functional Impairment of Patients Undergoing Surgical Correction for Charcot Foot Arthropathy

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 705-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Kroin ◽  
Adam Schiff ◽  
Michael S. Pinzur ◽  
Elissa S. Davis ◽  
Edwin Chaharbakhshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Comparative Investigation ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment ◽  
Operative Correction ◽  
The Impact

Background: Investigations using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Healthy Survey (SF-36) and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Diabetic Foot Questionnaire (AOFAS-DFQ) have demonstrated a poor quality of life in patients with Charcot foot arthropathy. The Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire has been widely used in patients with a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients undergoing operative correction for diabetes-related Charcot foot arthropathy of the midfoot completed the SMFA prior to undergoing surgery. There were 16 males and 9 females. The average body mass index (BMI) was 37.4 (range 25.8-50.2), and the average hemoglobin A1c was 7.5 (range 5.3-10.1) prior to surgery. Results: All 25 patients exhibited significant impairment in all 6 domains of the SMFA ( P < .0001) as compared to the normative data. There was a high correlation between each of the 6 domains of the SMFA, even after correcting for BMI. Conclusion: Charcot foot severely impaired the quality of life in patients beyond the impact of morbid obesity. This impairment equally impacted all of the functional and emotional domains measured with the SMFA as compared with population norms. This investigation provides a benchmark for measuring the impact of operative correction of the deformity. In addition, the SMFA appears to be a valid tool for measuring impairment in this complex patient population. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective comparative investigation

Improvement in Quality of Life Following Operative Correction of Midtarsal Charcot Foot Deformity

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 808-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Kroin ◽  
Edwin O. Chaharbakhshi ◽  
Adam Schiff ◽  
Michael S. Pinzur
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Operative Correction ◽  
Therapeutic Footwear ◽  
Operative Reconstruction ◽  
Patient Reported

Background: Patients with Charcot foot arthropathy report a poor quality of life following the development of deformity. Their quality of life is often not improved with “successful” historic accommodative treatment. There is increased current interest in operative correction of the acquired deformity with the stated goals of achieving both the traditional goals of resolution of infection and limb salvage as well as the desire to improve quality of life. The Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA) outcomes instrument appears to be a valid tool for evaluating this complex patient population. Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients undergoing operative reconstruction for nonplantigrade midtarsal Charcot foot arthropathy completed the SMFA patient-reported outcomes instrument prior to surgery, with 24 completing it at 1 year following the surgery. One patient died during the year following surgery from unrelated causes. Results: There was an 11.5-point (95% confidence interval [CI]: –19.7 to −3.2) decrease in the standardized functional index ( P = .01). Similarly, there was a 12.4-point (95% CI: –22.5 to −2.3) decrease in the standardized bother index ( P = .02). The standardized daily activity index demonstrated a 19.6-point decrease (95% CI: –30.5 to −8.6, P = .002), and there was a 14.7-point (95% CI: –24.1 to −5.3) decrease in the standardized emotion index ( P = .004). There was no meaningful change in the standardized arm/hand index ( P = .81). Conclusion: The results of this investigation demonstrate that successful operative reconstruction of midtarsal Charcot foot arthropathy improved quality of life. This supports the modern paradigm shift from immobilization during the active phase of the disease process followed by simple accommodation of the acquired deformity to the modern interest in operative correction to allow the use of commercially available therapeutic footwear. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

scholarly journals Deformity and Clinical Outcomes for Surgical Correction of Charcot Ankle

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0024
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Harkin ◽  
Andrew Schneider ◽  
Michael Murphy ◽  
Adam Schiff ◽  
Michael Pinzur
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Complication Rate ◽  
Chronic Wounds ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Surgical Correction ◽  
Surgical Reconstruction ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Operative Complication

Category: Diabetes Introduction/Purpose: Charcot Foot is a complex neuro-arthropathy associated with acquired progressive deformity and a significant impact to patients’ quality of life. Recent reports have suggested that preoperative deformity is predictive of clinical outcomes following surgical correction of the acquired deformity associated with midtarsal diabetes-related Charcot Foot arthropathy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 56 patients who underwent surgical reconstruction of Charcot ankle arthropathy by a single surgeon over a 14-year time period. Preoperative tibiotalar alignment was reviewed in the coronal and sagittal plane. Preoperative patient characteristics including age, sex, hemoglobin A1c, BMI, insulin use, and presence of a wound or infection at the time of surgery were also recorded. Preoperative coronal plane deformity was observed as valgus 16/56 (28.6%), varus 31/56 (55.4%), and neutral 9/56 (16.1%). Surgery included debridement of active infection when present, corrective osteotomies, and an attempt at ankle arthrodesis with application of a ringed external fixator (39 of 56, 69.6%) when infection was present or retrograde intramedullary nail (17 of 56, 30.3%). Clinical outcomes of excellent, good, or poor were based on limb salvage, resolution of infection and chronic wounds, and the ability to ambulate with either a CROW, AFO, or therapeutic diabetic footwear. Results: The average total patient follow-up time from index surgery was 115.4 weeks. One patient died after 134.3 weeks of follow-up and 8 underwent amputation. The post-operative complication rate was 69.6% (39 of 56), 79.5% (31 of 39) of which underwent re-operation. Ultimately, only 25 of 55 patients (45.5%) achieved a favorable (excellent or good) clinical outcome. There was no meaningful association between surgical outcome, post-operative complication, reoperation, and amputation and patients’ pre-operative alignment, final alignment, treatment with either ex-fix or IMN, the presence of a wound or infection, age, HgA1c, or BMI. However, compared to insulin dependent diabetics, those not taking insulin were only 0.34 times as likely to have a poor outcome. Conclusion: Operative fixation of Charcot ankle arthropathy was performed with a goal of achieving a plantigrade post for ambulation void of infection or chronic wounds and easily accommodated with a supportive orthosis. This retrospective case series demonstrates a high complication rate in this complex patient population. Clinical outcomes of Charcot ankle can be used to counsel patients on the risks of surgical correction and as a benchmark for improved treatment strategies.

scholarly journals Arthrodesis in the Charcot foot: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Cianni ◽  
Maria Beatrice Bocchi ◽  
Raffaele Vitiello ◽  
Tommaso Greco ◽  
Davide De Marco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Internal Fixation ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Surgical Approach ◽  
Charcot Foot ◽  
Clinical Conditions

The Charcot foot is a condition characterized by a progressive derangement of the foot. The type of deformity and patient clinical conditions will lead to the proper surgical approach among exostectomy, arthrodesis (through external and/or internal fixation) and amputation. Many authors report good clinical outcomes performing the arthrodesis in Charcot foot; however, the choice of the most appropriate hardware is still an issue. The aim of this study is to analyze the outcomes of different hardware in midfoot and hindfoot Charcot arthrodesis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document