Salvage of painful total ankle arthroplasty.

Revision of painful total ankle arthroplasties with reinsertion of a prosthetic device has been unsatisfactory. After removal of the prosthetic components, generally, the remaining bony stock is insufficient to allow adequate fixation with methylmethacrylate. Revision with arthrodesis by the modified Chuinard compression technique has been successful. Ankle arthrodesis is the only available surgical alternative to prosthetic ankle arthroplasty. Consequently, should a total ankle arthroplasty fail, a reliable salvage procedure is available that leaves the patient with minor, if any, additional functional impairment compared to that with an ankle arthrodesis done initially.