AVN of talus, traumatic

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My daughter suffered a talar neck fracture about 2 1/2 month ago. Her X-rays are not showing a Hawkins sign and the doctors are saying she has AVN. She has been advised to stay non-weight bearing. One docotr suggested that it would take 6 moths for new, vascularized bone to develop and another said two years. I've been reading online that non-weight bering is not really a solution although most of the info I read about AVN is about the hip. Is this a viable treatment plan or should we be investigating core decompression or something else. Do tese traumatic cases of AVN of the talus ever really resolve by just staying off them?????

-- Los Stevens (stevsj@aol.com), July 08, 2003

Answers

Recovery time is approximately 6 weeks for either operation

-- Marc Hungerford, M.D. (mhunger@jhmi.edu), August 06, 2003.

i obtained a grade 3 hawkins open fracture of the right talar neck in january 2003. my physicians still have me on a non weight bearing status. as a result of the injury i contracted a septic osteomyelitic infection in the talus,although my physician thinks that the infection is resolved i did sustain AVN of the talar dome, along with post traumatic arthritis , complicated by septic arthritis. my surgeon and the infection controll expert both tell me that to remove the dead bone is the only solution to the AVN. i am told that i will need a surgical fusion of my ankle to correct the problem, which for some reason my doctor has been avoiding this at all costs and has kept me on a non weight bearing status for about 9 months now. although still non weight bearing the AVN has not and i am told will not ever improve, without surgery. the pain in my ankle continues to be unrelenting and i have sustained severe joint damage. but, all in all being non weight bearing has not improved my condition. i only pray after having an ankle fusion performed that my unrelenting pain will cease, and one day i will have the use of my right ankle again and be able to walk again. i hope any of this information can be of use to you. wishing your daughter a speedy recovery from her inguries.

-- katherine gonzales (naynayshouse@yahoo.com), October 03, 2003.

Never heard of this talus thing but it is my understanding that when you do a bone graph you must be non weight bearing for at least 6 months to devolop the graph. Do you know of anyone who has had this in fla or is it just at Duke? How do you think this fares better than a total replacement? my doctor suggested a core decompression but I have been afraid to do it? What was he recovery from the core decompression like? Can you still do the graph after the decompression?

-- michael (mhirschhaut@prodigy.net), January 23, 2004.

I am from the UK and was diagnosed with AVN of the right talus in August 2003 after sustaining an inversion sprain at the end of 2002. I have been partial weight bearing since then with no obviuos improvement as far as I can tell. However a second MRI scan in October of 2003 showed significant improvement according to the specialists. Sorry that this only adds to the confusion. I am due to go back to my conslutant this month and intend to press for some positive action as the conservative treatment is not effective in my opinion. I have heard of a procedure that involves grafting a bit of muscle onto the talus from the heel that has its own blood supply. Has anybody got any expereince of this procedure. I do not like the idea of a core decompression.

-- Edward Kelsall (edwardkelsall@aol.com), February 02, 2004.

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