Ankle arthrodesis with a fibular bone autograft and intramedullary nail stabilization in post-traumatic loss of the talus. A case report

Abstract

Post-traumatic talus bone loss is a rare type of high-energy injury, which is associated with a large decontaminated wound and soft tissue contusion. We found 19 articles in PubMed on 21 patients whose talus was not found at the scene of the accident. We present the case of a 37-year-old patient who experienced post-traumatic talus loss and underwent treatment for talocalcaneal and talonavicular joint arthrodesis six months post-injury. The talus was not recovered at the accident scene. Arthrodesis was stabilized with an intramedullary nail, and a graft from the distal part of the fibula was placed to fill the space between the calcaneus and tibia. Additionally, bone graft and navicular were stabilized with K-wire and arthrodesed. At the one-year follow-up, the patient occasionally experiences foot oedema without pain after a full day of work. X-rays present complete ankle and graft-navicular arthrodesis.

Keywords

• Post-traumatic loss of the talus
• missing talus
• talus extrusion
• ankle arthrodesis
• fibular bone graf