Repeated arthroscopy of the ankle joint after distraction arthroplasty, a case series

BACKGROUND: Distraction arthroplasty of the ankle joint is the treatment method used for the cases of terminal osteoarthritis of the ankle joint that allows for delaying the arthrodesis or the total endoprosthesis replacement. The therapeutic effect is being achieved due to the separation of the articular surfaces (arthrodiastasis) with using the Ilizarov frame (or other devices for external fixation) for a period of 8-12 weeks. Only one research was described with the patients undergoing repeated arthroscopy of the ankle joint after the distraction arthroplasty in a combination with microfracturing of the cartilage defects, or repeated arthroscopy at the moment of removing the external fixation device (after 3 months).