My mother is considering a total ankle replacement. She has also been told that she has a coronal-plane deformity. What is this and what does this mean for her surgery?

A coronal-plane deformity is a bony deformity of the calcaneus (heel bone) that changes the angle of the ankle from the normal position. This angle can be valgus or varus meaning the heel is angled out or in respectively. This can be corrected at the time of the ankle replacement with a procedure called an osteotomy. In this particular study there were thirteen (twelve percent) patients who underwent corrective changes for such a diagnosis. The results of this study and another similar one found no difference in complication rates or patient reported outcomes as long as adequate correction was achieved at the time of the replacement.