E-Mail May 19, 2021 - For patients with severe arthritis of the ankle, total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) provides better long-term function than ankle arthrodesis (AA), reports a study in "Both established treatments for end-stage ankle arthritis are effective at pain relief and improved patient-reported outcomes," according to the research by Bruce Sangeorzan MD, and colleagues at the University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System. "However, it appears TAA leads to greater improvement in most patient-reported outcome measures at 48 months after surgery." Study adds to evidence supporting TAA for ankle arthritis End-stage ankle arthritis is characterized by complete loss of cartilage and "bone-on-bone" contact in the ankle joint, with patients experiencing pain and stiffness. The standard treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis is arthrodesis, which uses hardware such as plates and screws to fuse the ankle bones into a single piece.