McLeod Performs Rare Ankle Procedure

Dr. Jake McLeod

Jake McLeod, DPM, of Longview Orthopedic Associates is the first area surgeon to perform a revision total ankle replacement. The procedure took place at St. John Hospital in mid-2020.

The patient had end-stage ankle arthritis that was causing pain and severely limiting his range of motion. All conservative options had been exhausted, which meant that surgery was necessary. Dr. McLeod performed a primary ankle replacement for the patient in September 2019. The surgery went well, and there appeared to be no complications. However, at the first post-op appointment, Dr. McLeod noticed that the implant had failed on the tibia side.

“Because of this, the implant formed a cavity in the leg bone,” McLeod said, “so we moved forward with the revision ankle replacement.”

He removed the initial implant and replaced it with a stemmed implant that allows for restoration of the bone loss that had occurred. “These technologies have only recently become available,” he said. “Typically, when an ankle replacement fails, it then has to be converted to an ankle fusion. This eliminates the pain, but it also eliminates the joint’s motion, which is what we were trying to preserve in this case.”

“The patient is doing great,” McLeod said. “He is walking without any assistive device and has no pain. Imaging shows that the current implant is stable.”

Dr. McLeod hopes to begin doing total ankle replacements at Pacific Surgical Center. It would mark the first time this procedure has been done in an outpatient setting in the local area.

Dr. McLeod treats sprains, fractures, and other foot pain due to bunions, flat feet, and arthritis. He specializes in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, total ankle replacements, and ankle arthroscopy and is double board certified in foot surgery and reconstructive ankle surgery by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery.