International Publication Trends of Studies Comparing Total Ankle Arthroplasty and Ankle Arthrodesis: A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND

End-stage ankle osteoarthritis can be treated surgically by either total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) or ankle arthrodesis (AA). The purpose of this systematic literature review is to analyze international publication trends of comparative studies of TAA and AA.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted, searching Embase and PubMed for studies comparing the utilization of TAA and AA published between 1 January, 2010, and the search date (March 18, 2022).

RESULTS

Twenty-one publications comparing TAA and AA were included in the literature review, capturing 68,893 TAA procedures and 206,437 AA procedures in seven different countries or regions. Nine studies originated from the United States, and 12 studies from outside the United States (OUS). The number of studies comparing the utilization of TAA and AA declines sharply after 2013. From 2000 to 2013, the volume of TAAs reported increased globally; however, the number of AA procedures reported initially increased globally but declined dramatically in the United States after 2011, while remained steady in OUS.

CONCLUSION

The number of studies comparing TAA and AA increased in the early 2000s but has decreased for the past 10 years. The available 30-year literature indicates that the interest for TAA procedures has increased in the United States and some Asian countries, while interest for AAs has declined. In Europe, the reported utilization trend of TAA is generally decreasing.