FAI April 2017 Podcast: Histological Analysis of Early Osteolysis in Total Ankle Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to perform a histological comparative analysis of tibiotalar joint samples taken from areas of osteolysis adjacent to total ankle arthroplasties vs control synovial specimens to determine the reaction to and presence of polyethylene (PE) particles. This study is the largest ankle arthroplasty histological analysis to show that areas of osteolysis consist of abundant polyethylene wear particles, present both intracellularly and extracellularly. Furthermore, these areas were associated with a CD163+ macrophage infiltrate and frequently a foreign body reaction with giant cells engulfing PE particles. It is likely that implant wear particles play a significant role in osteolysis based on the histopathology.   To view the article, click here.