Mid-to-Long-term Clinical Outcomes of Ankle Arthroscopy on the Treatment of Chronic Ankle Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BackgroundThe effectiveness of arthroscopic ankle surgery for chronic ankle conditions, including pain intensity, functionality, and success rates, remains uncertain.MethodsPubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched until October 2023. Mean differences (MDs) were calculated for pain reduction and functional improvements, and arthroscopy success rates were determined using a random-effects model.ResultsIn total, 47 studies were included, encompassing 2,653 patients. Arthroscopic surgery resulted in a significant decrease in pain intensity for osteochondral lesions (MD = -4.49, P = .002) and ankle osteoarthritis (MD = -2.88, P = .034). Functional improvements were observed with notable success rates: 92.5% (soft tissue impingement), 87.5% (ankle synovitis), 73.2% (osteochondral lesions), 71.53% (bony impingement), and 54.7% (ankle osteoarthritis).ConclusionArthroscopic ankle surgery proves effective, particularly for osteochondral lesions and impingement conditions, offering good outcomes in terms of pain reduction and functionality. However, the limited quality of available evidence calls for cautious interpretation of these results.Level of Evidence:Meta-analysis of studies with level of evidence III and IV.