A game changing tool in the assessment of foot first ray laxity. A clinical reliability study.

Background: Excessive laxity of the first ray has been implicated in various foot disorders. Accurate assessment is critical to define the most appropriate treatment. However, assessment currently depends largely on clinical examination and lacks objectivity.

Do Patients With Functional Hallux Limitus Have a Low-Lying or Bulky FHL Muscle Belly?

Background: Functional hallux limitus (FHLim) refers to a limitation of hallux dorsiflexion when the first metatarsal head is under load, whereas physiologic dorsiflexion is measured in the unloaded condition. Limited excursion of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) in the retrotalar pulley has been identified as a possible cause of FHLim. A low-lying or bulky FHL muscle belly could be the cause of this limitation.

Articular Cartilage Repair After Implantation of Hyaline Cartilage Beads Engineered From Adult Dedifferentiated Chondrocytes: Cartibeads Preclinical Efficacy Study in a Large Animal Model.

Background: Chondrocyte-based cell therapy to repair cartilage has been used for >25 years despite current limitations. This work presents a new treatment option for cartilage lesions.

Hypothesis: High-quality hyaline cartilage microtissues called Cartibeads are capable of treating focal chondral lesions once implanted in the defect, by complete fusion of Cartibeads among themselves and their integration with the surrounding native cartilage and subchondral bone.

Hyaline Cartilage Microtissues Engineered from Adult Dedifferentiated Chondrocytes: Safety and Role of WNT Signaling.

The repair of damaged articular cartilage is an unmet medical need. Chondrocyte-based cell therapy has been used to repair cartilage for over 20 years despite current limitations. Chondrocyte dedifferentiation upon expansion in monolayer is well known and is the main obstacle to their use as cell source for cartilage repair.

Iatrogenic transfer metatarsalgia after hallux valgus surgery: a comprehensive treatment algorithm.

Current literature has described many of the complications following hallux valgus surgery and their treatment options. Iatrogenic transfer metatarsalgia is a distinctive and challenging complication that has not been addressed in a comprehensive fashion yet. Iatrogenic transfer metatarsalgia may result from poor preoperative assessment, planning and/or surgical technique.

Computer-assisted surgery and navigation in foot and ankle: state of the art and fields of application.

Computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery (CAOS) is a real-time navigation guidance system that supports surgeons intraoperatively.Its use is reported to increase precision and facilitate less-invasive surgery.Advanced intraoperative imaging helps confirm that the initial aim of surgery has been achieved and allows for immediate adjustment when required.

[Clinical experience of an offloading orthosis to prevent and heal diabetic foot ulcers of the digits].

Globally, every 30 seconds a lower limb amputation is carried out due to diabetes, in 85 % of cases preceded by a foot ulcer. One of the main causes of foot ulcer formation is abnormal mechanical pressure and shear, the alleviation of which is therefore a key element in the management of diabetic foot ulcers. The toes, often neglected in routine clinical examinations, are particularly vulnerable because of the thin soft tissue between the bones and the skin and because of trauma due to ill-fitting shoes.

What Tests Are Useful to Investigate a Possible Infection of Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA)? What Are Their Thresholds?

Recommendation: Overall, the approach to a potentially infected total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) does not change compared to other periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). There are no novel or unique diagnostic procedures for TAA infection, specifically. Joint aspiration or intraoperative tissue/synovial biopsies with microbiological cultures are the most important diagnostic tests for suspected TAA infections.

Does Intra-articular Injection of the Ankle With Corticosteroids Increase the Risk of Subsequent Periprosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA)? If So, How Long After a Prior Intra-articular Injection Can TAA Be Safely Performed?

Recommendation: Every intra-articular injection of the ankle is an invasive procedure associated with potential healthcare-associated infections, including periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Based on the limited current literature, the ideal timing for elective TAA after corticosteroid injection for the symptomatic native ankle joint is unknown. The consensus workgroup recommends that at least 3 months pass after corticosteroid injection and prior to performing TAA.

What Is the Optimal Protocol for Performing Debridement, Antibiotics and Implant Retention (DAIR) in an Infected Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA) (Type and Volume of Irrigation Solution, and so on)?

Recommendation: Debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) in acute total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) infections may be an acceptable treatment option. If performed, DAIR should be done meticulously, ensuring that all necrotic or infected tissues are removed and modular parts of the prosthesis, if any, exchanged. The infected joint should also be irrigated with antiseptic solutions.

Stopping antibiotics after surgical amputation in diabetic foot and ankle infections-A daily practice cohort.

Objective: The appropriate duration of antibiotic therapy for diabetic foot infections (DFI) after surgical amputations in toto is debated. There are discrepancies worldwide.

Methods: Using a clinical pathway for adult DFI patients (retrospective cohort analysis), we conducted a cluster-controlled Cox regression analysis.

Muscular Versus Non-Muscular Free Flaps for Soft Tissue Coverage of Chronic Tibial Osteomyelitis.

Background: Eradication of chronic tibial osteomyelitis necessitates aggressive debridement is often followed by soft tissue reconstruction. Muscular flaps are said to be more effective than non-muscular flaps for infection treatment, while fasciocutaneous and perforator flaps are considered to be less invasive and offering a better aesthetic result.

Methods: In this study, we reviewed 24 consecutive cases of chronic tibial osteomyelitis treated according to a specific protocol in a tertiary hospital.

Repair of syndesmosis injury in ankle fractures: Current state of the art.

Conventional treatment of syndesmosis injuries in rotationally unstable ankle fractures is associated with an unacceptably high rate of malreduction, and this has led to a paradigm shift in the approach to a newer concept of anatomical repair.In the anatomical approach, the principle is to 'directly fix what is broken and repair what is torn'. The approach is effective in reducing the rate of syndesmosis malreduction, increasing the biomechanical strength of syndesmosis fixation and avoiding the need for trans-syndesmotic fixation and its secondary removal.

Additional muscular slip of the flexor digitorum longus muscle to the fifth toe.

Despite the fact that there are numerous reports on muscular variations in the sole of the foot, routine dissection in a formaldehyde-fixed cadaver revealed an accessory flexor digiti quinti muscle, which to the best of our knowledge is a very unusual variant. This was in the form of a slender, 38 mm long muscular slip, with a proximal and distal tendon extending from the common flexor digitorum longus tendinous plate out to the distal phalanx of the fifth toe. An associated finding was the absence of the musculotendinous portion of the flexor digitorum brevis to the same toe.

[Evidence based treatment of hallux valgus].

Hallux valgus is a frequent disorder of the foot and decision-making about the best treatment provokes many questions among patients and specialists. These include the need for surgery, which surgical technique is the best choice, and is minimally invasive surgery going to replace open techniques? While the modern media provides patients with easy access to details concerning surgical techniques, they rarely include means for the patient to distinguish between objective information and publicity. The general practitioner is a person of trust for the patient and should help him or her consider treatment proposals.

Hallux valgus, ankle osteoarthrosis and adult acquired flatfoot deformity: a review of three common foot and ankle pathologies and their treatments.

The pathogenesis of hallux valgus deformity is multifactorial. Conservative treatment can alleviate pain but is unable to correct the deformity. Surgical treatment must be adapted to the type and severity of the deformity.

How to Get to the Distal Posterior Tibial Malleolus? A Cadaveric Anatomic Study Defining the Access Corridors Through 3 Different Approaches.

Objective: Our objective is to review the anatomy and exposure of the posterior column and posterior tibial malleolus (the posterior tibial plafond) by defining the access corridors through 3 different approaches-posteromedial, posterolateral, and modified posteromedial.

Methods: Cadaveric dissection with percentage of posterior tibial malleolus exposed, and strain gauge measurements to evaluate traction on the neurovascular bundle.

Results: The 3 different approaches are applicable for exposure of different portions of the distal posterior tibial malleolus.

Calcified desmoplastic fibroblastoma of the foot: imaging findings.

We report a case of desmoplastic fibroblastoma (DF) of the foot in a 65-year-old woman. The tumor presented as a slow-growing, painless mass located in the first intermetatarsal space of the right foot. Ultrasound showed a well-circumscribed hypoechoic lesion containing hyperechoic calcifications confirmed on standard radiographs.

Technique tip: Simultaneous first metatarsal lengthening and metatarsophalangeal joint fusion for failed hallux valgus surgery with transfer metatarsalgia.

Background: Failed hallux valgus surgery may result in residual or recurrent hallux valgus, and as well transfer metatarsalgia. The present technical tip concerns the combination of fusion of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint and lengthening of the first metatarsal (MT) through a scarf osteotomy.

Materials And Methods: Six patients underwent the presented technique, all for the indication of failed hallux valgus surgery with shortening of the first MT and degenerative changes in the 1st MTP joint.

Comparison of the Otto Bock solid ankle cushion heel foot with wooden keel to the low-cost CR-Equipements solid ankle cushion heel foot with polypropylene keel: A randomized prospective double-blind crossover study assessing patient satisfaction and energy expenditure.

Background: The International Committee of the Red Cross supports a worldwide program of prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation. In this context, a prosthetic foot was developed and widely distributed in least developed countries.

Study Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study.

Syndesmosis reduction by computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery with navigation: Feasibility and accuracy in a cadaveric study.

Introduction: Syndesmotic disruption may be difficult to reduce and fix, and malreduction is associated with inferior outcomes. Intraoperative computed tomography (CT) can provide accurate assessment of syndesmotic reduction. We hypothesized that three-dimensional (3-D) computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery (CAOS) with navigation of syndesmotic reduction could avoid malreduction.

Intraoperative 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography and Navigation in Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Computer-assisted orthopedic surgery has developed dramatically during the past 2 decades. This article describes the use of intraoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography and navigation in foot and ankle surgery. Traditional imaging based on serial radiography or C-arm-based fluoroscopy does not provide simultaneous real-time 3-dimensional imaging, and thus leads to suboptimal visualization and guidance.

Clinical Outcomes and Development of Symptomatic Osteoarthritis 2 to 24 Years After Surgical Treatment of Tarsometatarsal Joint Complex Injuries.

Background: Injuries to the tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint complex, or Lisfranc injuries, have been reported to result in osteoarthritis (OA) following surgical treatment. Good outcomes with respect to short and medium-term results have been reported. However, long-term results, specifically regarding clinical outcomes and the development of symptomatic OA, are limited.

Masquelet Technique for Midfoot Reconstruction Following Osteomyelitis in Charcot Diabetic Neuropathy: A Case Report.

Case: We describe a case of ulcerative midfoot osteomyelitis in a patient with Charcot diabetic neuropathy. After debridement, an extensive osseous defect led to staged reconstruction in an attempt to salvage the foot. We describe the presentation, the treatment, and the technical points of this challenging case.

[Ankle fractures in the elderly patient].

Ankle fractures in adults are usually managed by open reduction internal fixation. In elderly patients the surgical dilemma relates to bone quality. Osteoporosis is the enemy of internal fixation, and secure purchase of screws in osteopenic bone may be difficult to achieve.