Preoperative Anxiety Effect on Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Foot and Ankle Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative emotional distress has been shown to negatively influence joint arthroplasty and spine surgery, but limited data exist for foot and ankle outcomes. Emotional distress can be captured through modern tools like the Patient-Reported Outcomes Instrument Measurement System (PROMIS) anxiety domain. We hypothesized that patients with greater preoperative PROMIS anxiety scores would report greater pain and less function after foot and ankle surgery than patients with lower preoperative anxiety levels. METHODS: Elective foot and ankle surgeries from May 2016 to December 2017 were retrospectively identified. PROMIS anxiety, pain interference (PI), and physical function (PF) scores were collected before and after surgery. Patients were grouped based on preoperative PROMIS scores greater or less than 59.4. A cutoff of PROMIS anxiety above 59.4 was selected as the threshold that corresponds to traditional measures of anxiety. RESULTS: Compared to patients with less preoperative anxiety (average: 47.2, n=146), patients with higher preoperative anxiety (average: 63.9, n=59) had greater preoperative pain (PROMIS PI: 63.5 vs 59.1, P < .001) and lower physical function (PROMIS PF: 37.9 vs 42.0, P = .001). Postoperatively, patients with higher preoperative anxiety had more residual pain and greater functional disability as compared to patients with less preoperative emotional distress (PROMIS PI: 58.6 vs 52.9, P < .001; PROMIS PF: 39.8 vs 44.4, P < .001; respectively). CONCLUSION: Our evidence showed that preoperative emotional anxiety predicted worse pain and function at early operative follow-up. Measures of preoperative anxiety could be useful in identifying patients at risk for poorer operative outcomes, but continued study is necessary. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study.

The Arterial Anatomy of the Lateral Ligament Complex of the Ankle: A Cadaveric Study.

BACKGROUND: Ankle sprains are the most common musculoskeletal injury in the United States. Chronic lateral ankle instability can ultimately require operative intervention to decrease pain and restore stability to the ankle joint. There are no anatomic studies investigating the vascular supply to the lateral ankle ligamentous complex. PURPOSE: To define the vascular anatomy of the lateral ligament complex of the ankle. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Thirty pairs of cadaveric specimens (60 total legs) were amputated below the knee. India ink, followed by Ward blue latex, was injected into the peroneal, anterior tibial, and posterior tibial arteries to identify the vascular supply of the lateral ligaments of the ankle. Chemical debridement was performed with 8.0% sodium hypochlorite to remove the soft tissues, leaving casts of the vascular anatomy intact. The vascular supply to the lateral ligament complex was then evaluated and recorded. RESULTS: The vascular supply to the lateral ankle ligaments was characterized in 56 specimens: 52 (92.9%) had arterial supply with an origin from the perforating anterior branch of the peroneal artery; 51 (91.1%), from the posterior branch of the peroneal artery; 29 (51.8%), from the lateral tarsal branch of the dorsalis pedis; and 12 (21.4%), from the posterior tibial artery. The anterior branch of the peroneal artery was the dominant vascular supply in 39 specimens (69.6%). CONCLUSION: There are 4 separate sources of extraosseous blood supply to the lateral ligaments of the ankle. In all specimens, the anterior talofibular ligament was supplied by the anterior branch of the peroneal artery and/or the lateral tarsal artery of the dorsalis pedis, while the posterior talofibular ligament was supplied by the posterior branch of the peroneal artery and/or the posterior tibial artery. The calcaneofibular ligament received variable contributions from the anterior and posterior branches of the peroneal artery, with few specimens receiving a contribution from the lateral tarsal or posterior tibial arteries. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding the vascular anatomy of the lateral ligament complex is beneficial when considering surgical management and may provide insight into factors that lead to chronic instability.