Minimally invasive surgery for intra-articular calcaneus fractures: a 9-year, single-center, retrospective study of a standardized technique using a 2-point distractor.

BACKGROUND: A fracture of the calcaneus can be a painful and disabling injury. Treatment modalities may be conservative or operative. Surgical treatment strategies include open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) techniques, as well as a variety of minimally invasive methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment options and post-treatment complication rates for intra-articular calcaneal fractures at the Traumacenter Linz over a 9-year period. METHODS: All patients with calcaneal fractures treated at the Traumacenter Linz between 2007 and 2015 were included in this study. The patients records were retrospectively reviewed, and the data, including demographic parameters, cause of injury, and the time between injury and operative treatment were analyzed. The number of secondary operative interventions due to soft-tissue complications, hardware removal, and the long-term arthrodesis rate were evaluated. RESULTS: A minimally invasive 2-point-distractor method was used in 85.8% (n = 182) of all operatively managed calcaneal fractures (n = 212) in our department. The majority of the operations (88.7%) were performed within 2 days after the accident. The secondary operation rate resulting from wound complications was 2.7% in the 2-point distractor group and 16.7% in the ORIF group. A secondary arthrodesis was performed in 4.7% (n = 9) of the subtalar joints in the entire study population. CONCLUSIONS: Our data supported the assumption that severe wound complications would be less likely to occur after minimally invasive treatment compared to ORIF treatment. The rate of secondary arthrodesis in the study cohort was comparable to that in the literature. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Review of Drop Hallux: Assessment and Surgical Repair.

Peroneal nerve palsy is common. The hallmark clinical manifestation of peroneal nerve palsy is drop foot. In the drop foot condition, the ankle cannot flex, and the foot does not clear the ground during the swing phase of gait. Spontaneous nerve repair can yield complete or incomplete resolution of drop foot. Some patients with incomplete resolution are left with a drop hallux condition, in which the ankle can dorsiflex, but the hallux remains unable to dorsiflex. This has not been thoroughly discussed in the past, regarding surgical repair. In the present report, we have reviewed the drop hallux condition and an effective surgical repair option (extensor hallucis longus to tibialis anterior tendon anastomosis). Our case report presents a healthy 27-year-old male who had persistent drop hallux after drop foot resolution, 3 years after external fixation of a closed, proximal tibia-fibula fracture.

Subtalar Joint Distraction Arthrodesis to Correct Calcaneal Valgus in Pediatric Patients with Tarsal Coalition: A Case Series.

Subtalar joint middle facet coalitions commonly present in children who have a painful, rigid, pes planovalgus foot type. The middle facet coalition allows rearfoot forces to be distributed medially through the coalition, and this can result in arthritis or lateral tarsal wedging. The senior author has used a wedged bone graft distraction subtalar joint arthrodesis to correct calcaneal valgus and restore the talar height in these patients. The tight, press-fit nature of the tricortical iliac crest allograft provides stability and can negate the need for internal fixation. We retrospectively reviewed 9 pediatric subtalar joint distraction arthrodesis procedures performed on 8 patients during a 6-year period. All patients began weightbearing at 6 weeks after surgery. All patients had osseous union, and no complications developed that required a second surgery. The clinical outcomes, assessed at a mean of 25.5 (range, 6.3 to 75.8) months postoperatively, were satisfactory. The mean American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score was 90.1 (range, 79 to 94), on a 94-point scale. The wedged distraction arthrodesis technique has not been previously described for correction of pediatric patients with lateral tarsal wedging, but it is an effective option and yields successful outcomes.

Digital arthrodesis: current fixation techniques.

Several hammertoe implant devices have recently been introduced in an attempt to provide optimal fixation for proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis. This article reviews these implants individually, and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. There is a lack of research with long-term follow-up available for these devices. Percutaneous Kirschner-wire fixation persists as a time-honored and effective method of fixation. The buried Kirschner-wire technique is also an effective, cost-conscious option, with many of the same advantages as newer implantable devices.

The offset V osteotomy versus the modified Austin with a longer plantar arm: a comparison of mechanical stability.

Several studies have tested the strength and various fixation modalities of the long dorsal arm offset V osteotomy, and have proven it to be a stable construct when fixated properly. We believe that a modification of the traditional Austin cuts, with a slightly longer plantar arm, lends itself to greater stability because instead of ground reactive forces applying a distraction moment on the osteotomy, the ground actually compresses the osteotomy leading to greater stability and less chance of failure. We compared the mechanical stability of the long dorsal offset V osteotomy to the slightly longer plantar arm osteotomy using 20 sawbone models, 10 in each study group. The offset V osteotomies were all fixated with two 2.7-mm stainless steel screws through the dorsal arm of the osteotomy, and the longer plantar arm osteotomies were fixated with one 2.4-mm stainless steel screw through the plantar arm of the osteotomy. Results of testing with the 858 Mini Bionix materials testing device, showed a mean load at failure of the long dorsal arm osteotomies of 142.26 N (range 53.16-235.45 N). Mean load at failure of the longer plantar arm osteotomies was 280.07 N (range 184.91-337.39 N). There was a significant difference in the ultimate load at failure between the 2 groups (P < .0001). There was no significant difference in displacement (P = .18) or stiffness (P = .54). The results of our study indicate that the slightly longer plantar arm osteotomy is a more stable construct than the long dorsal arm offset V osteotomy.