Ankle Arthrodesis with Bone Allografts in A Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Rheumatism and Joint Surgery Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 137 - 142
• Main Authors: TAKAKUBO Yuya, 高木 理彰, 佐々木 明子, 大類 広, 荻野 利彦
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: 日本関節病学会 2007; Japanese Society for Joint Diseases
• Subjects: allograft; ankle; arthrodesis; bone grafting; rheumatoid arthritis
• ISSN: 0287-3214; 1884-9059
• DOI: 10.11551/jsjd1982.26.137

It is well known that severe bone defects and osteoporosis can be troublesome in the restoration of rheumatoid ankles, thus, bone grafts have often been performed. We report a case of severe destruc-tive rheumatoid ankle treated by arthrodesis with bone allografts.A 62-years-old woman was affected with RA for 18 years. She was not able to stand or walk because of severe pain of her left ankle, combined with myelopathy due to RA. The arthrodesis of her ankle was performed with a retrograde intramedullary nail and bone allograf is a month after occipito-thoracic posterior fusion. At 8 weeks after the arthrodesis, she could stand and walk with a walker. At one year and 6 months later, she was able to walk stably without any walking aid. Radiographs of her ankle showed the union of the surgical site with favorable bone remodeling and bone stock recovery. The reconstructive procedure was considered as one option for treating disabling rheumatoid ankles with massive defects.