Emerging Insights With The Ankle Implant Arthroplasty

Volume 24 - Issue 10 - October 2011
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What You Should Know About The Buechel-Pappas Total Ankle Replacement

It is worthy to mention the Buechel-Pappas (BP) Total Ankle Replacement, the leader of the second-generation devices utilized in the U.S. during the early 1980s. Developed by Frederick Buechel, MD, and Michael Pappas, MD, it was the first mobile-bearing device used in ankle arthroplasty.⁸ Its design was based off a low contact stress (LCS) device originally named the “New Jersey” or “Cylindrical” TAR.

The BP total ankle involves the use of a rotationally unconstrained, deep sulcus, meniscal-bearing device meant to eliminate high contact stresses during inversion and eversion. The ultra high-molecular weight polyethylene piece then articulates with a flat-stemmed tibial component and a biconcave trochlear talar component. The creators of the implant have reported long-term survivorship of the ankle implant at 93.5 percent at 10 years.²⁰ The BP ankle device never received approval from the FDA and is no longer available for use in the U.S.

Author(s):

Robert W. Mendicino, DPM, FACFAS, Alan R. Catanzariti, DPM, FACFAS, and Kyle S. Peterson, DPM

Dr. Mendicino is the Chairman of the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh. He is a Fellow and Past President of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Dr. Catanzariti is the Director of Residency Training in the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh. He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Dr. Peterson is a second-year resident in the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh.

References

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