Search Results (11)

Hallux valgus is one of the common causes of forefoot pain in the field of foot and ankle surgery. This condition is characterized by valgus and pronation deformities of the first ray, leading to bunion pain, metatarsalgia, callus formation, and gait disturbances. Conventional open osteotomy of the first metatarsal and proximal phalanx of the first toe has been widely performed. Recently, with increasing reports of favorable radiologic and clinical outcomes of minimally invasive surgery, this technique has been performed by many surgeons. Despite the various surgical methods available, there is still no consensus on the optimal treatment of hallux valgus, and the advantages and disadvantages of open versus minimally invasive techniques remain a topic of debate. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest radiographic evaluation and surgical treatment for hallux valgus. Full article

Background/Objectives: Hallux valgus, or a bunion, is a prevalent foot deformity associated with pain, limited mobility, and reduced quality of life. Surgical treatments include minimally invasive and traditional open techniques, but the optimal approach remains debated. This systematic review evaluates long-term outcomes, patient satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, the influence of patient-specific factors, rehabilitation protocols, and complication rates for these methods. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases identified 22 studies published within the last 15 years, each with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The systematic review adhered to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Eligible studies reported on at least one of six key outcomes, and data were extracted on radiographic and clinical results, patient satisfaction, costs, rehabilitation timelines, and adverse events. Results: Minimally invasive bunion surgery (MIBS) showed faster recovery, higher patient satisfaction, and improved quality of life compared to open surgery. Radiographic outcomes, including hallux valgus and intermetatarsal angle correction, were durable, though outcomes were less consistent for severe deformities. MIBS was more cost-effective over time, owing to shorter operating times and faster recovery. Rehabilitation was accelerated, and wound complications were fewer with MIBS. However, open techniques remained preferable for severe deformities due to their reliability in complex corrections. Conclusions: MIBS offers substantial advantages for most patients undergoing bunion surgery, including faster recovery and fewer complications. However, open techniques may be better suited for severe deformities. Further research is needed to refine patient selection criteria and evaluate long-term outcomes in diverse populations. Full article

Objectives: To compare the safety and efficacy of open surgery (OS) and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques in the correction of symptomatic hallux valgus (HV). Methods: A systematic review of studies up to January 2024 was conducted, identifying all the relevant literature comparing OS and MIS for symptomatic HV. Searches were performed across major databases including MEDLINE, Cochrane and EMBASE. A total of 32 studies were included, comprising randomised control trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies as well as grey literature. Key outcomes assessed included radiographic measures such as the hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), and distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA), with preoperative and postoperative angles analysed to calculate the power of correction. Secondary outcomes included American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, operative time, hospital stay duration, radiation exposure and complication rates. Both fixed-effect and random-effects models were applied based on the observed heterogeneity in the data. Results: Thirty-two studies with 2423 patients contributed to the summative outcome. Postoperative HVA and IMA were comparable between OS and MIS groups. However, MIS showed a significantly lower DMAA angle (MD = −0.90, CI: −1.55 to −0.25, p = 0.01). In radiographic correction analysis, MIS demonstrated significantly greater DMAA correction (MD = 1.09, CI: 0.43 to 1.75, p = 0.001). The odds of hardware removal were significantly higher with MIS (OR = 2.37, CI: 1.41 to 4.00, p = 0.001). Functional analysis showed that MIS achieved significantly higher postoperative AOFAS scores (MD = 2.52, CI: 0.92 to 4.13, p = 0.002). MIS was associated with a shorter operative (MD = −12.07 min, CI: −17.02 to −7.11, p < 0.00001) and a significantly shorter hospital stay (MD = −0.76, CI: −1.30 to −0.21, p = 0.007). MIS was linked to higher radiation exposure (MD = 51.18, CI: 28.71 to 73.65, p < 0.00001). Conclusions: There is no definitive superiority between MIS and OS for hallux valgus correction. While MIS offers benefits such as improved DMAA correction, higher functional AOFAS scores, shorter operative times and reduced hospital stays, it also carries risks like increased radiation exposure and a higher rate of hardware removal. The decision between MIS and OS should be personalised, taking into account the specific needs and circumstances of each patient. Larger studies are warranted to validate these findings as newer MIS techniques continue to emerge and evolve. Full article

Background: Hallux valgus is a prevalent foot deformity conventionally treated with open surgical techniques, which carry risk of complications due to extensive soft tissue dissection. Minimally invasive surgeries (MISs) as alternatives offer comparable outcomes, reduced pain, and faster recovery; however, their challenges include the risk of shortening of the first metatarsal. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of our modified MIS hallux valgus correction technique and investigate the factors that affect first metatarsal shortening. Methods: Twenty-nine feet treated with modified MIS hallux valgus surgery between 2017 and 2022 were included with an average follow-up of 29 months. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with the Manchester–Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ), Foot Function Index (FFI), and visual analog scale for pain. Radiographic evaluations included the intermetatarsal angle (IMA), hallux valgus angle (HVA), distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA), first metatarsal length, and sesamoid grade. Results: Functional and radiographic outcomes were significantly improved (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Significant correlations between patient satisfaction and the MOXFQ, FFI, and VAS scores were found, with no significant correlations between patient satisfaction and radiographic outcomes. Non-purchasing of the lateral cortex of the proximal osteotomy site was identified to increase risk of first metatarsal shortening (odds ratio [OR] = 22.09, p = 0.0064). Conclusions: Our modified MIS for hallux valgus correction showed favorable radiographic and functional outcomes. Proximal lateral cortex purchasing should be targeted to reduce postoperative shortening of the first metatarsal. Full article

Pododactyl radiography is a non-invasive procedure that enables the detection of foot pathologies, as it provides detailed images of structures such as the metatarsus and phalanges, among others. This examination holds potential for employment in CAD systems. Our proposed methodology employs generative artificial intelligence to analyze pododactyl radiographs and generate automatic medical reports. We used a dataset comprising 16,710 exams, including images and medical reports on pododactylys. We implemented preprocessing of the images and text, as well as data augmentation techniques to improve the representativeness of the dataset. The proposed CAD system integrates pre-trained CNNs for feature extraction from the images and Transformers for report interpretation and generation. Our objective is to provide reports describing pododactyl pathologies, such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, heel spurs, flat feet, and lesions, among others, offering a second opinion to the specialist. The results are promising, with BLEU scores (1 to 4) of 0.612, 0.552, 0.507, and 0.470, respectively, a METEOR score of 0.471, and a ROUGE-L score of 0.633, demonstrating the model’s ability to generate reports with qualities close to those produced by specialists. We demonstrate that generative AI trained with pododactyl radiographs has the potential to assist in diagnoses from these examinations. Full article

Plantar plate positioning has been demonstrated as biomechanically superior. However, some operators remain resentful about the morbidity of the surgical approach. To provide improved plate fixation for first tarsometatarsal joint arthrodesis with respect to the tibialis anterior tendon, a medio-plantar plate was developed. The purpose of this biomechanical study was to compare its construct stability to that of a plantar plate construct. Twelve pairs of fresh frozen human specimens were used in a matched pair test. Each pair was fixed with a 4 mm compression screw and either a plantar locking plate or a medio-plantar locking plate. A cantilever beam test was performed in dorsiflexion. Before and after cyclic loading (5000 cycles; 40 N), bending stiffness and relative movements at the joint space were monitored in a quasi-static test including optical motion tracking. Maximum load and bending moment to failure were investigated in a load-to-failure ramp test. The bending stiffness of both groups did not significantly differ before (plantar 49.9 N/mm ± 19.2; medio-plantar 53.9 N/mm ± 25.4, p = 0.43) or after (plantar 24.4 N/mm ± 9.7; medio-plantar 35.3 N/mm ± 22.0, p = 0.08) cyclic loading but decreased significantly in both groups (p < 0.01) after cyclic loading. Relative movement increased significantly during cyclic testing in both groups (p < 0.01) but did not differ significantly between the groups before (p = 0.29) or after (p = 0.16) cyclic loading. Neither load nor bending moment to failure were significantly different (plantar 225 N ± 78, 10.8 Nm; medio-plantar 210 N ± 86, 10.1 Nm, p = 0.61). Both plate constructs provided equivalent construct stability, both being well suited for Lapidus arthrodesis. Full article

While hallux valgus (HV) surgeries are useful for correcting skeletal alignment problems, their effects on plantar load, which reflects forefoot functions, are less understood. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the plantar load change after HV surgeries. A systematic search of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and CINAHL was performed. Studies that assessed the pre- and post-operative plantar pressure of HV patients undergoing surgeries and reported load-related parameters over the hallux, medial metatarsal, and/or central metatarsal regions were included. Studies were appraised by using the modified NIH quality assessment tool for before-after study. Studies suitable for meta-analysis were pooled with the random-effects model, using the standardized mean difference of the before-after parameters as an effect measure. Twenty-six studies containing 857 HV patients and 973 feet were included for the systematic review. Meta-analysis was conducted on 20 of them, and most studies did not favor HV surgeries. Overall, HV surgeries reduced the plantar load over the hallux region (SMD −0.71, 95% CI, −1.15 to −0.26), indicating that forefoot function worsened after surgeries. For the other five outcomes, the overall estimates were not statistically significant, indicating that surgeries did not improve them either. There was substantial heterogeneity among the studies, which in most cases could not be resolved by pre-planned subgroup analyses by surgical classification, year of publication, median age of patients, and length of follow-up. Sensitivity analysis removing lower-quality studies showed that the load integrals (impulse) over the central metatarsal region significantly increased (SMD 0.27, 95% CI, 0 to 0.53), indicating that surgeries increased the risk of transfer metatarsalgia. There is no solid evidence that HV surgeries could improve forefoot functions from a biomechanical point perspective. Currently available evidence even suggests that surgeries might reduce the plantar load over the hallux and adversely affect push-off function. The reasons behind and the effectiveness of alternative surgical methods warrant further investigation. Full article

Falls are common among older adults. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between foot anatomical structural variations and balance in older adults and quantify foot posture and stabilometry as predictors of fall risk. This case-control study of older adults classified cases or controls according to falls in the last five years. All subjects were healthy women and men > 65 years old (n = 164), who were divided into two groups: 83 individuals who had suffered from a fall in the previous five years (case group) and 81 individuals who had not suffered from a fall (control group). Hallux abductus valgus (HAV) and tailor’s bunion are stability-determining factors. Women have a higher probability of falling. HAV (p = 0.042) and tailor’s bunion (p = 0.069) also increased the fall probability. Morphological foot variations (HAV and tailor’s bunion) linked to gender and age increase fall risk among older adults. In women fallers with HAV, there was a higher possibility of falling (63.9%). According to age, in older adults with HAV, the percentage of falls is high (62%). Fallers with tailor’s bunion (60.7%) are more numerous than fallers without this pathology. Older adults with HAV and tailor´s bunion had twice the probability of suffering a fall than older people without foot anatomical structural. Foot morphology is decisive in falling risk. Full article

Recurrence is a frequent and undesirable outcome after hallux valgus (HV) surgery. However, the prevalence of HV recurrence and the pre- and postoperatory factors associated with it have not been adequately studied. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence rate of HV recurrence and to analyze its predisposing factors. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were systematically searched for observational studies including individuals undergoing HV surgical correction. The random-effects restricted maximum likelihood model was used to estimate the pooled effect size (correlation coefficient (r)). Twenty-three studies were included, yielding a total of 2914 individuals. Pooled prevalence of HV recurrence was 24.86% (95% confidence interval (CI), 19.15 to 30.57, I² = 91.92%, p = 0.00). Preoperative HV angle (HVA) (r = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.43) and preoperative intermetatarsal angle (IMA) (r = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.27) showed a moderate positive relationship with recurrence. Postoperative HVA (r = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.94) and sesamoid position (r = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.60) showed strong relationships with recurrence. In conclusion, preoperative HVA, IMA, and postoperative HVA and sesamoid position are significant risk factors for HV recurrence, and the association of these factors with recurrence is affected by age. Full article

Background: Hallux valgus (HV) deformity is a common, potentially debilitating deformity. And evidence with high-quality for the conservative treatments of HV deformity is still required.; AIMS: To compare the effects of different conservative treatments for hallux valgus deformity by using the method of network meta-analysis.; Study Design: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, OVID, and CINAHL. The included studies should have the characteristics that: (1) participants with hallux valgus deformity of any age (2) conservative treatments (3) Reported the hallux valgus (HVA), the intermetatarsal angle (IMA), the score of the Visual Analog Scale, and the score of Foot Function Index.; Results: 11 studies were included in this review. The agreement between reviewers reached a kappa value of 0.75. The results of the network meta-analysis showed that a combination of exercise and toe separator, night splints, and dry needling are most likely to be the best choice for reducing the hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal angle, and toe separators (with or without exercise), dry needling, and manipulation (with or without ice treatment) have advantages in improving the subjective feeling of patients.; Conclusions: Multi-disciplinary conservative treatments have a great potential for hallux valgus deformity. More research with high-quality is needed to give a comprehensive and reasonable scheme of a holistic and long-term treatment protocol. Full article

Tailor’s bunion (TB) disease should be considered one of the foot injuries that causes disability in feet as well as general health. This case–control descriptive study investigated and contrasted the effects of different TB types in a sociodemographic population using the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ). A sample of 100 subjects with a mean age of 51.70 ± 17.78 years was recruited and requested to reply to a foot health survey. Results were self-reported. Subjects were scored. Participants with TB type III (TB3) registered lower scores for foot pain, foot function, footwear, and foot health. Physical activity and social capacity had higher scores, and vigor and general health were lower. A Kruskal–Wallis test was used for systematic differences between the FHSQ and different TB types. In all analyses, statistical significance was considered a p-value <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Statistically significant differences were found between all domains of the FHSQ and TB, except for the social capacity domain and vigor. The FHSQ is an important measurement tool in TB subjects, showing that factors such as sex, age, and footwear used throughout an individual’s life are significantly associated with the development of TB3 and its influence on foot pain and foot health. Full article