THE SCOTTISH ARTHROPLASTY PROJECT: OUTCOMES OF 601 TOTAL ANKLE ARTHROPLASTIES OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD

Introduction Total ankle replacement (TAR) is performed for post-traumatic arthritis, inflammatory arthropathy, osteoarthritis and a range of other indications. The Scottish Arthroplasty Project (SAP) began collection of data on TAR in 1997. In this study, using data from the SAP, we examined the annual incidence of TAR between 1997 and 2015. Implant survivorship and the rate of general and joint-specific complications were also analysed. Methods We identified 601 patients from a national arthroplasty database who had undergone total ankle replacement between 1997 and 2015 and followed up these patients to a maximum of 20 years. We used established methods of linkage with national hospital episode statistics, population and mortality data to examine the incidence of complications and implant survivorship. Results There were 601 primary TAR procedures with an overall incidence of 0.6 per 105 population per year. Indications for ankle replacement included: posttraumatic arthritis/osteoarthritis 63%; inflamm...