Periprosthetic cysts seen in one patient after TAA with porous metal-backed implant

BARCELONA, Spain — Despite the development of periprosthetic cysts in one patient among 67 patients who were evaluated 24 months after undergoing total ankle arthroplasty, research presented here suggests the implant’s porous tantalum metal layers at the bone interfaces and its curved geometry contributed to the satisfactory early results.

Claudia Di Silvestri

Claudia Di Silvestri , MD, of IRCCS Galeazzi in Milan and who presented the study at the EFORT Annual Congress, said, “The aim of this study was estimating the presence of periprosthetic cysts in patients who underwent total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) with Zimmer Trabecular Metal Total Ankle Implant.”

The study was conducted from 2013 to 2015 and included 38 men and 29 women with a mean age of 50.8 years who had end-stage ankle arthritis treated with this type of TAA prosthesis.

“At a minimum of 24-months follow-up, we estimated one case of periprosthetic cysts,” she said and proceeded to present that patient’s revision operative plan, 1-year and 2-year follow-up radiographs and a CT scan.

Periprosthetic cysts are a known risk factor in patients who undergo TAA, according to Di Silvestri.

“Periprosthetic cysts are reported to be an important reason for revision surgery,” she said.

The studied TAA system, however, incorporates both semi-conformed and semi-constrained components, which allow for natural ankle motion. However, with 2-year mean follow-up, it is hard to pinpoint which features contribute most to the good postoperative stability seen in most of these patients, according to Di Silvestri.

The cysts that occurred in the one patient were visible on radiographs, as well as CT scans.– by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Usuelli FG, at al. Paper 1769. Presented at: EFORT Annual Congress; May 30-June 1, 2018; Barcelona, Spain.

Disclosure: Di Silvestri reports no relevant financial disclosures.