Case 7: Total Ankle Replacement w/3D Printed Talus (STJ Resurface)

Performed by Dr. Adam Perler in January, 2020 at SurgCenter Pinellas.

Patient presented from Canada where she had suffered a car accident which shattered both her tibia and her talus. She underwent surgery to plate both bones, but over the years developed debilitating traumatic arthritis.

Patient didn’t want to have her ankle fused and an ankle replacement would have been very challenging given the poor status of her talus, which showed signs of avascular necrosis, where the bone starts to lose its blood supply.

Considering this and the fact that 3D printing is not currently available in Canada, she elected to have her ankle surgery performed at Alexander Orthopaedic Associates. In her case, we were able to perform an ankle replacement with a 3D printed talus which also resurfaced her subtalar and talonavicular joints successfully.