[Research progress on total ankle replacement].

Total ankle replacement (TAR) is considered as a treatment option for end stage ankle arthritis. This treatment was abandoned due to the early failure prosthesis in the past. However, with recently advancements in ankle prosthesis design and improved surgical techniques, TAR has made great progress and the indications are expanding. Many studies have shown acceptable mid term and long term results of TAR, and it is worth looking forward to the prospect. Advantages of TAR over arthrodesis include improvement in joint range of motion, better gait activity, and decreased incidence of adjacent joint arthritis. With the further development, TAR will be considered as gold standard for the treatment of end stage ankle arthritis instead of the ankle arthrodesis. However, there are still many problems of TAR need to be solved in this present stage of development, including higher economic costs, lower survival rate, and higher revision rate. Patients and surgeons should have confidence in TAR, also need to choose this treatment with careful consideration.