Clinical and functional outcomes of patients tibiotarsal arthrodesis in foot drop treatment

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate clinical and functional outcomes of foot drop with joint degeneration through tibiotarsal arthrodesis. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated nine patients with foot drop. Of these, two had lumbar disc disease, four had sequelae of poliomyelitis, and three had peroneal nerve injury. All patients underwent open surgery tibiotarsal arthrodesis. The functional improvement of the limb were analyzed in the postoperative period. Patients mean age was 45 years and 10 months. Of the sample, six patients were men. Results: The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) anklehindfoot scale, translated and adapted into Portuguese language, were used to evaluate the results. In postoperative assessment, six patients had mild or occasional pain and three did not report pain. The mean AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 36, ranging from 26 to 39, and 73 after surgery, ranging from 42 to 91. Conclusions: The tibiotarsal arthrodesis in patients with foot drop showed satisfactory results, improvement in patients’ pain and gait, and, consequently, improvement in their quality of life.