Tuber-to-Anterior Process Angle (TAPA): A cadaveric study and surgical technique for placing axial calcaneal screws

Kristen L Stupay; Jorge Briceño; Brian T Velasco; Christopher P Miller; John Y Kwon

doi:10.1016/j.injury.2019.05.019

Tuber-to-Anterior Process Angle (TAPA): A cadaveric study and surgical technique for placing axial calcaneal screws

Injury. 2019 Jul;50(7):1398-1403. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2019.05.019. Epub 2019 May 22.

Authors

Kristen L Stupay¹, Jorge Briceño², Brian T Velasco³, Christopher P Miller³, John Y Kwon³

Affiliations

¹ Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
³ Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.

PMID: 31147185
DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2019.05.019

Abstract

We describe results of a cadaveric study and an accompanying surgical technique which simplifies posterior-to-anterior axial screw placement into the calcaneus, often utilized during fixation of displaced intra-articular calcaneus fractures or calcaneal osteotomies. By defining the Tuber-to-Anterior Process Angle (TAPA), this technique facilitates axial screw placement, thereby decreasing reliance on intraoperative fluoroscopy and reducing operative time.

Keywords: Axial calcaneal screws; Screw placement; Technical tip; Tuber-to-Anterior Process Angle.

MeSH terms

Bone Screws
Cadaver*
Calcaneus / surgery*
Fluoroscopy
Foot / anatomy & histology
Foot / surgery*
Fracture Fixation, Internal / methods*
Humans
Reproducibility of Results