ABSTRACT
Background: Congenital Talipes Equino Varus [CTEV] is a common complex congenital deformity of the foot. Treatment still continues to challenge the skills of the pediatric orthopedic surgeon as it has a notorious tendency to relapse, irrespective of whether the foot is treated by conservative or operative means
Objective: To evaluate the short term outcome of Ponseti method of serial manipulation and casting in Congenital Talipes Equino Varus [CTEV] in children up to 6 months of age
Methodology: A descriptive case series study was carried from 16[th] February to 15[th] August 2012 in the department of orthopaedic surgery, Sheikh Zayed Medical College/Hospital Rahim Yar Khan. A total of 200 feet were included in this study. The first cast application corrects the cavus deformity by aligning the forefoot with the hind foot, supinating the forefoot to bring it in line with the heel, and elevating the first metatarsal. One week after application, the first cast was removed, and after about 2-3 minutes of manipulation, the next toe-to-groin cast was applied. Manipulation and casting continued weekly for the next 5 to 6 weeks
Results: Mean age of patients was 3.9 +/- 1.7 months. Ninety one patients [62.3%] were male while remaining 55 patients [37.7%] were female. Left foot deformity was seen in 48 [33%] patients, right foot deformity was found in 34 [23%] patients and 64 [44%] patients were suffering from bilateral deformity. Percutaneous tenotomy of Tendo-Achilles was performed in 167 patients [83.5%]. Out of 200 feet, correction was achieved in 177 feet [88.5%] with zero Pirani score
Conclusion: Ponseti's method is simple, easy to learn, effective and reproducible method for correction of Congenital Talipes Equino Varus [CTEV] deformity in children