Surgical Realignment of a Dorsiflexed Metatarsal Fracture.

Metatarsal fractures are common injuries that routinely present to outpatient clinics. Whilst usually amenable to conservative care, there is controversy regarding treatment when the fracture results in significant misalignment. In this case report, a 54-year-old female recreational basketball player who sustained a second metatarsal fracture that had healed in a dorsiflexed position in relation to the adjacent metatarsals was referred for a surgical opinion. She had experienced worsening overload pain to her third metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ). Open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) via a 6-hole locking plate was employed to reduce the fracture misalignment and re-establish the metatarsal parabola. She enjoyed an uneventful recovery with a full return to her sporting activities. ORIF with locking plate may be an acceptable technique for reducing displaced metatarsal fractures and re-establishing the metatarsal parabola.

The Safety and Effectiveness of the Percutaneous Flexor Tenotomy in Healing Neuropathic Apical Toe Ulcers in the Outpatient Setting.

Percutaneous flexor tenotomy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves cutting one or both flexor digitorum tendons underneath the toe. It is an alternative to open surgical procedures performed in an operating theatre. This project is a prospective case series investigating the utility, effectiveness, and participant satisfaction of the percutaneous flexor tenotomy when performed in the outpatient setting. People with diabetes, digital flexion deformity, and loss of protective sensation with an apical ulcer or preulcerative lesion presenting to the Austin Health Foot Ulcer Specialist Outpatient Clinic were enrolled in the study. The procedure was performed under sterile technique with an 18-gauge needle or fine scalpel blade. Participants were reviewed weekly until the incision and/ or ulcer healed. Participants were then followed up at 3 and 6 months. Time to ulcer healing, reulceration rate, frequency of complications, and patient satisfaction were recorded. There were 11 toe ulcers and 41 preulcerative lesions. A total of 76 tenotomy procedures were performed on the 23 participants across 35 episodes of care. The mean time to ulcer healing following tenotomy was 10.2 ± 4.3 days. There were no recurrences of ulceration. The infection rate per episode of care was 2.8%. There were 11 toes (14.5%) that sustained a transfer lesion post the index procedure. The mean time to development of a transfer lesion was 95.5 ± 98.1 days. All participants strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the outcome of the procedure. The flexor tenotomy is an effective procedure to expedite the healing of apical toe ulcers in people with loss of protective sensation and flexion digital deformity. It has a low infection rate and high patient satisfaction rate when performed in the outpatient setting. There is a moderate risk of transfer preulcerative lesions to an adjacent digit. Levels of Evidence: Level IV: Prospective case series.

Scarf versus chevron osteotomy for the correction of 1-2 intermetatarsal angle in hallux valgus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The chevron and scarf osteotomies are commonly used for the surgical management of hallux valgus (HV). However, there is debate as to whether one osteotomy provides more 1-2 intermetatarsal (1-2 IMA) correction than the other. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of 3 types of first metatarsal osteotomy for reducing the 1-2 IMA in HV correction: the chevron osteotomy, the long plantar arm (modified) chevron osteotomy, and the scarf osteotomy. A systematic search for eligible studies was performed of the following databases: Medline, Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO Host), and The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials. Only English-language studies previous to May 2010 were included in the review. Additional hand and electronic content searches of relevant foot and orthopaedic journals were performed. Criteria for inclusion in this analysis included systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies, as well as case-series studies involving the chevron, scarf, or long plantar arm chevron osteotomy of >20 participants with a minimum of 80% follow-up. Quality of evidence of the included studies was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. All pooled analyses were based on a fixed effects model. There was a total of 1351 participants who underwent either a chevron (n = 1028), scarf (n = 300), or long plantar arm chevron osteotomy (n = 23). Only one study for the long plantar arm chevron group fitted the eligibility criteria for this review; however, it was not amenable to meta-analysis. The chevron osteotomy was associated with a mean reduction of 1-2 IMA from preoperative to postoperative of 5.33° (95% confidence interval, 5.12 to 5.54, p < .001), and the scarf osteotomy was associated with a mean reduction of 6.21° (95% confidence interval, 5.70 to 6.72, p < .001). There was a statistically significant 0.88° increase in the correction of the 1-2 IMA in favor of the scarf osteotomy compared with the chevron osteotomy. The studies included in this review were of very low- to low-quality evidence. Our findings indicate that the scarf osteotomy provides greater correction of the 1-2 IMA when used for HV correction. However, only a weak recommendation in favor of the scarf osteotomy can be made based on the low quality of evidence of the studies included in this analysis.

Development and reliability of an intraoperative first metatarsophalangeal joint cartilage evaluation tool for use in hallux valgus surgery.

The objective of this study was to examine the reliability of an intraoperative evaluation tool for assessing cartilage degeneration of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in hallux valgus surgery. During hallux valgus reconstruction, 2 examiners documented the location, depth, and surface area of cartilage lesions affecting the first MTPJ in 20 females aged 17 to 69 (mean 50.9 ± 13.5) years. Depth of cartilage lesions was assessed using the 5-level International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) scale and a 3-level scale (normal, partial thickness, full thickness). Interexaminer reliability of lesion location and depth was assessed using absolute percentage agreement and kappa (κ) statistics, and interexaminer reliability of lesion surface area was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and 95% limits of agreement (LOAs). For lesion location, percentage agreement ranged from 90% to 100% and κ values ranged from 0.78 to 1.00, reflecting substantial to excellent levels of agreement. For lesion depth using the ICRS and 3-level scale, percentage agreement ranged from 33% to 100% and weighted κ values ranged from 0 to 1.00, reflecting poor to excellent levels of agreement. For lesion surface area, the ICC was 0.98 (95% confidence interval = 0.97 to 0.99) and 95% LOA was 0.74 to 1.41, indicating excellent reliability. The results of this study demonstrate a generally high degree of reliability between examiners for the intraoperative use of the first metatarsophalangeal joint cartilage evaluation tool, and the tool may have some value in predicting surgical outcomes associated with hallux valgus.

Bone and wound healing augmentation with platelet-rich plasma.

Over the past two decades, autologous platelets that have been sequestered, concentrated, and mixed with thrombin to generate growth factor-concentrated platelet-rich plasma for application to bone and wounds to aide healing have been a subject of great interest. This article reviews the literature related to the use of autologous platelet-rich plasma in bone and wound healing, and reviews the processes necessary to secure a high concentration of viable platelets. Although not yet definitive, autologous platelet-rich plasma has been shown to be safe, reproducible, and effective in mimicking the natural process of bone and wound healing.

A technique for isolated arthrodesis of the second metatarsocuneiform joint.

Arthrodesis for primary osteoarthrosis of the second metatarsocuneiform joint has received little attention in the literature when compared to salvage of posttraumatic osteoarthrosis after Lisfranc fracture dislocation. The use of screw or plate fixation is commonly advocated for such in situ arthrodesis, and the use of trephine/dowel plugs has also been described. The authors present an alternate approach for addressing primary osteoarthrosis of the second metatarsocuneiform joint with the use of Kirschner wires fashioned into staples with cancellous bone graft interposition.

A simplified technique for repair of recurrent peroneal tendon subluxation.

Peroneal tendon subluxation or dislocation denotes intermittent or chronic anterior displacement of the peroneus longus and brevis tendons out of their fibro-osseous tunnel at the distal and posterior aspect of the fibula. Numerous surgical techniques have been described to address peroneal tendon subluxation, including isolated or combined soft tissue and osseous reconstructive procedures. The authors present an efficient and simplified approach for addressing this pathology using multiple, nonabsorbable retention sutures without the need for extensive dissection or osteotomy.