Outcomes of Keller Gap Arthroplasty for Plantar Hallux Interphalangeal Joint Ulcers in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Hallux ulcers are known for their recurrence and associated risk for future amputations. Traditional nonsurgical external offloading methods have poor compliance rates, and the data is sparse on surgical offloading of hallux ulcers. We performed this study to analyze the outcomes of Keller excision gap arthroplasty of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in patients with a neuropathic plantar hallux interphalangeal joint (IPJ) ulcer in patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A retrospective study of 105 diabetic patients with a plantar hallux IPJ ulcer who underwent a Keller excision gap arthroplasty between December 2014 and June 2020 was done. A total of 122 great toes had been operated upon for hallux IPJ ulcers. We studied the long-term wound healing rates from patient records and then did a prospective survey of the postreview period. RESULTS: All the hallux IPJ ulcers healed well in the immediate postoperative period. Six patients reported a recurrence of the ulcer at the original site during a mean follow-up period of 30 months. For these 6 patients, the mean time to recurrence of ulcer after operation was 2.5 years. CONCLUSION: At an average of 30 months, we found the Keller gap arthroplasty for treatment of noninfected and nonischemic diabetic foot hallux IPJ ulcers was associated with an ulcer recurrence rate of 5%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, cohort study.

Parachute Method: A Novel Method to Retrieve a Stuck Degloved Finger.

An entrapped finger is a relatively uncommon domestic injury. When the finger gets stuck proximal to the proximal interphalangeal joint, the resultant distal edema and inappropriate attempts at retrieval can result in circumferential degloving of the skin and injury to the neurovascular structures. We report a technique that can be used in such circumstances. Strategically placed skin sutures are used to get the skin through the constricting ring, and retrieval is aided by a cut finger glove that wraps the finger and can be lubricated. This non-cutting technique is named as the parachute technique since the withdrawn skin sutures look like the strings of the parachute. This technique is valuable when the finger gets stuck in an idli plate, a common South Indian kitchen utensil, where there is difficulty of access to cutting equipment and where inappropriate attempts at retrieval can result in skin injury making further attempts more difficult.