Comparison of Preoperative Bone Density in Patients With and Without Periprosthetic Osteolysis Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Background: Modern total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) prostheses are uncemented press-fit designs whose stability is dependent on bone ingrowth. Preoperative insufficient bone density reduces initial local stability at the bone-implant interface, and we hypothesized that this may play a role in periprosthetic osteolysis. We aimed to investigate the preoperative bone density of the distal tibia and talus and compare these in patients with and without osteolysis. Methods: We enrolled 209 patients (218 ankles) who underwent primary TAA using the HINTEGRA prosthesis. The overall mean follow-up duration was 66 (range, 24-161) months. The patients were allocated into 2 groups according to the presence of periprosthetic osteolysis: the osteolysis group (64 patients, 65 ankles) and nonosteolysis group (145 patients, 153 ankles). Between the 2 groups, we investigated and compared the radiographic outcomes, including the Hounsfield unit (HU) value around the ankle joint and the coronal plane alignment. Results: HU values of the tibia and talus measured at 5 mm from the reference points were higher than those at 10 mm in each group. However, comparing the osteolysis and nonosteolysis groups, we found no significant intergroup difference in HU value at every measured level in the tibia and talus ( P > .05). Concerning the coronal plane alignment, there were no significant between-group differences in the tibiotalar and talar tilt angles ( P > .05). Conclusion: Patients with osteolysis showed similar preoperative bone density of the distal tibia and talus compared with patients without osteolysis. Our results suggest that low bone density around the ankle joint may not be associated with increased development of osteolysis. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.