Indications: Contraindications for Total Ankle Replacement

Adequate evaluation of potential pre- or intraoperative risk factors may be critical to promoting successful outcomes. Knowledge of the indications, as well as both relative and absolute contraindications, is of great importance. Many factors historically considered contraindications for total ankle arthroplasty should no longer be considered contraindications based on scientific evidence. Some of these factors are probably interconnected (for instance, BMI, activity level, diabetes, and vascular disease). Instead of considering each of these factors in isolation, the surgeon should try to judge the patient as a whole when choosing between total ankle arthroplasty and ankle arthrodesis.