Retrospective Comparison of Isolated Haglund's Deformity Surgery Versus Combined With Gastrocnemius Recession.

Insertional Achilles tendonitis is a common pathology treated by foot and ankle surgeons that may require surgical intervention. Literature has shown good outcomes following detachment and reattachment of the Achilles for removal of the exostosis. However, there is minimal literature showing the impact of adding a gastrocnemius recession to the Haglund's resection. The goal of the present study was to retrospectively review the outcomes of an isolated Haglund's resection versus a Haglund's resection combined with a gastrocnemius recession. A retrospective chart review of 54 operative extremities was performed: 29 with isolated Haglund's resection and 25 with a Strayer gastrocnemius recession. We found similar decreases in pain between the 2 groups, 6.1 to 1.5 and 6.8 to 1.8 in the isolated Haglund's and Strayer's group, respectively. We found decreased postoperative Achilles rupture and reoperation rates in the Strayer group but this did not reach statistical significance. We found a statistically significant decreased rate of wound healing complications in the Strayer group, 4% in the Strayer group and 24% in the isolated procedure. In conclusion, adding a Strayer to a Haglund's resection was found to have a statistically significant decrease in wound complications. We recommend future randomized controlled studies to compare the use of a Strayer procedure on postoperative complications.

Medially based hallux interphalangeal joint arthroplasty in the management of hallux ulceration: surgical technique and result in six consecutive cases.

INTRODUCTION: Plantar hallux wounds are common in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Several techniques, both surgical and nonsurgical, are designed to offload plantar wounds. However, controversy exists regarding which techniques are superior in terms of efficacy, safety, and longevity. OBJECTIVE: This manuscript presents a simple, minimally invasive technique to permanently offload the plantar IPJ of the hallux in the case of recalcitrant plantar ulcerations. The authors describe their surgical technique for and outcomes of medially based hallux IPJ arthroplasty for the management of recalcitrant hallux ulcerations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five patients (6 wound cases) were evaluated. All patients underwent the same surgical procedure and were subject to the same postoperative protocol of full weight-bearing as tolerated. RESULTS: All 5 cases healed, with an average time to healing of 15.5 days (range, 10-22 days) and no instances of recurrence. The average time to final follow-up was 83.17 weeks (range, 54-95 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: The medially based hallux IPJ arthroplasty approach has demonstrated ability to adequately offload hallux ulcerations, permits bone biopsy or resection for treatment of underlying bone infection, and allows for immediate weight-bearing.

Incidence of Nonunion Following First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis for Hallux Valgus Deformity: A Retrospective Analysis of Four Different Constructs.

Arthrodesis of the great toe joint is a valuable procedure for hallux valgus deformities. The primary aim of this study was to determine nonunion rates of a first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) arthrodesis for bunion deformity. This was a retrospective review of 166 consecutive limbs that underwent a first metatarsal phalangeal joint arthrodesis at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (WFBMC). Procedures were performed using 4 different constructs for the arthrodesis. Incidence of nonunion, intermetatarsal correction, infection, and recurrence were measured. Overall, 20 patients (12%) experienced nonunion following a first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis. Eighty-seven patients (86%) of plate and screw patients achieved union while 14 (78%) of crossing screw patients achieved union. The minimum time of follow-up was 3 months and the maximum time was 15.4 months. The mean change in intermetatarsal and hallux valgus angle correction was 3.4° and 20.3°, with no statistical difference based on hardware construct or being diabetic. First metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis is a viable option for hallux valgus. However, the results of the present study suggest that there is a lower fusion rate of the first MTPJ using crossing screws for bunion deformities.