Osteoarthritis of the ankle joint is recognized to be a relatively rare condition compared to other weight-bearing joints. Treatment for it in the early stage is the application of a shoe-insert or surgical repair of the lateral ligament. In the late stage, total ankle replacement or joint fusion is indicated. But treatment in the intermediate stage is difficult and controversial. In our clinic, we tried low tibial osteotomy on seven patients, two male and five female, who all showed a varus tilt of the distal joint surface of the tibia on an anteroposterior X-ray view and increased inclination of the distal joint surface of the tibia on a lateral view. Valgus osteotomy was done, with a few degrees of over-correction, for these cases. The average follow-up periods after operation was 2 years, ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 years, and results were satisfactory in all.
