Arthroscopic surgery of ankle arthritis due to acute gout under local anesthesia

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of arthroscopic surgery on ankle arthritis due to acute gout under local anesthesia. Methods Arthroscopic surgery of simple ankle arthritis（left ankle arthritis in 6 patients and right ankle arthritis in 9 patients） due to acute gout was performed in 15 male patients（at the age of 35-51 years, mean 41 years） admitted to our department in April 2004-March 2009 for a history of 2 weeks-3 years of ankle arthritis under local anesthesia. Results The outcome of patients was scored with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society （AOFAS） score system, which was 51.8±6.7 and 88.6±5.2, respectively, before and after operation（P＜0.05）. The patients were followed up for 6-60 months（mean 32.6 months） during which recurrence was found in 2 patients. Conclusion The incidence of simple ankle arthritis due to acute gout is low. However, its misdiagnosis rate is rather high. Arthroscopic surgery under local anesthesia is an effective procedure for it with minimal trauma and helps its early diagnosis.