The feasibility of total ankle prosthesis for severe arthropathy in haemophilia and prothrombin deficiency.

The standard treatment for end-stage arthropathy of the ankle joint in haemophilia has been fusion of the ankle joint. Total ankle replacement is used in osteoarthritis and especially in rheumatoid arthritis with good medium-term results. In this case series three patients are being described, in which a total of five total ankle replacements have been preformed. After a median follow up of 4.3 years (range 1-8.7) all prostheses were still in place and did not show any signs of loosening. Clinical scores showed a good to excellent result. In this small series total ankle replacement in patients with bleeding disorders show promising results. Further studies are needed to show the value of this relatively new type of surgery in haemophilic patients.