Supramalleolar osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction and talofibular immobilization for varus ankle osteoarthritis with excessive talar tilt angle.

BACKGROUND: Although supramalleolar osteotomy is the main joint-preserving method for the treatment of varus ankle osteoarthritis, it tends to be ineffective when ankle osteoarthritis presents in combination with an excessive talar tilt angle. The purpose of this study was to present a new surgical technique, supramalleolar osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction and talofibular immobilization, for the treatment of varus ankle osteoarthritis with an excessive talus tilt angle and to evaluate the clinical and radiological results. METHODS: From January 2013 to October 2016, a total of 17 patients with 17 cases of varus ankle arthritis with excessive talar tilt angles (larger than 7.3°) underwent surgical treatment using our new technique. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) clinical ankle-hindfoot scale and a visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to evaluate ankle function and pain before surgery and at the last follow-up. The medial distal tibial angle (MDTA), anterior distal tibial angle (ADTA), talar tilt angle (TTA), and hindfoot moment arm values (HMAVs) were evaluated on weight-bearing radiographs acquired preoperatively and at the last follow-up. RESULTS: The AOFAS score improved significantly from 45.8 ± 2.1 before surgery to 84.8 ± 1.8 after surgery (p < 0.001), and the VAS score decreased from 4.9 ± 0.4 to 1.1 ± 0.2 (p < 0.001). The MDTA, TTA, and HMAV changed from 80.9° ± 0.4° to 90.1° ± 0.4°, 11.7° ± 0.6° to 1.4° ± 0.3°, and 12.6 mm ± 0.8 mm to 4.2 mm ± 0.6 mm, respectively (each p < 0.001). The ADTA showed no obvious change (p = 0.370). The staging of 11 cases (65%) improved. Intramuscular vein thrombosis of the lower limbs occurred in 1 patient 1 week after surgery, and superficial infection occurred in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Supramalleolar osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction and talofibular immobilization can correct the load of the weight-bearing ankle and effectively improve the ankle function. As the talar tilt angle can be significantly improved after surgery, this technique can be used for the treatment of varus ankle osteoarthritis with an excessive TTA.

Association between a Maternal History of Miscarriages and Birth Defects.

BACKGROUND: Some studies, mainly in the older literature, observed a significant association between miscarriages and birth defects (BDs) occurring in the same sibship. However, few studies examined the BD/miscarriage relationship in depth. In addition nothing has been added to the underlying mechanisms possibly linking both events. The purpose of this work was to identify specific BDs associated with maternal miscarriages. In particular, it examined whether the risk depended on the number of losses, and to suggest the existence of specific factors for each BD/miscarriage association observed. METHODS: The study relied on the Latin American Collaborative Study on Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) database registries including 26,906 live and stillborn infants with one of 19 selected isolated BDs and 93,853 normal controls. Infants born to primigravid mothers were excluded from the present study. Demographic and reproductive variables were compared between control mothers With and Without previous miscarriages. The number, frequency, and distribution of miscarriages were observed for each BD and controls. A conditional logistic regression was applied to evaluate the miscarriage risk for each BD. RESULTS: Control mothers with previous miscarriages were older, had had more pregnancies, and were less educated. Three risk patterns of miscarriages were observed: a very high risk of miscarriages associated with gastroschisis, omphalocele, and talipes; only one miscarriage associated with spina bifida, and two or more miscarriages associated with hypospadias. CONCLUSION: These three patterns suggest that different factors underly each BD/miscarriage association: infertility for hypospadias, vascular disruption for gastroschisis and talipes, while for spina bifida, the much debated trophoblastic cell residue theory could not be discarded. Birth Defects Research 109:254-261, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Association of Forefoot Varus Deformity with Patellofemoral Cartilage Damage in Older Adult Cadavers.

Forefoot alignment may contribute to patellofemoral joint (PFJ) osteoarthritis (OA) via its influence on the closed chain kinematics of the lower limb. The purpose of this cadaveric study was to investigate the relationship between forefoot varus and ipsilateral cartilage damage in the medial and lateral PFJ. Forefoot alignment measurements were obtained from the feet of 25 cadavers (n = 50). Cartilage damage in the medial and lateral PFJ of each knee was scored using the Outerbridge scale. The relative odds of medial and lateral PFJ cartilage damage in limbs with forefoot varus and valgus were determined using logistic regression. The relationship between increasing varus alignment and increasing odds of medial and lateral PFJ cartilage damage was assessed. Of the 51% of limbs with forefoot varus, 91.3% had medial, and 78.3% had lateral PFJ cartilage damage, compared with 54.6% and 68.2% of those with forefoot valgus. The former also had 3.0 times (95% CI 1.2, 7.7) the odds of medial PFJ damage; no association was found with lateral damage (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.7, 3.0). Feet in the highest tertile of varus alignment had 3.9 times (95% CI 10, 15.3, P = 0.058) the odds of medial PFJ damage as those in the lowest tertile. The results of this study suggest a relationship between forefoot varus and medial PFJ cartilage damage in older adults. As forefoot varus may be modified with foot orthoses, these findings indicate a potential role for orthoses in the treatment of medial PFJ OA. Anat Rec, 300:1032-1038, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fibula extension and correction of foot and ankle deformity to rectify post-osteomyelitis talipes equinovarus in a young adult: a case report and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Talipes equinovarus is traditionally viewed in the literature as a congenital disease. CASE REPORT: We present here a case of the acquired talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) in a young adult patient that has developed the following osteomyelitis. RESULTS: We have successfully corrected this condition by fibula extension and correction of foot and ankle deformity, using external fixation device. The treatment period has extended over three years and involved two operations. CONCLUSIONS: This case report will increase awareness of adult orthopedists on acquired talipes equinovarus and propose orthopedic reconstructive strategies to rectify this condition.

Morphometric changes in talus of club foot A gross observation in human foetuses / Cambios morfométricos en talus del pie zambo, una observación macroscópica en fetos humanos

Both the feet of six human foetuses of different age groups having unilateral club feet, were dissected for morphological study. Six morphometric parameters considered for comparing gross anatomical changes in normal and deformed feet, were 1-Maximum length of the talus, 2-Longitudinal dimension of head of talus, 3-Anterior trochlear breadth, 4-Maximum medial talar height, 5-Talar neck and calcaneal angle, 6-Talocalcaneal angle. All the foetuses with congenital club feet have almost similar deformity of foot skeleton. The gross anomalies observed were the smaller size of club foot talus and increased medial and planter deviation of a stunted, misshapen head and neck region. A medial plantar subluxation of the navicular bone with a consequent deformity of the articular facets of the talar head was also observed. Uniformity and consistency of anatomical abnormalities were striking features in present study.

Para su estudio morfológico fueron disecados ambos pies de seis fetos humanos de distintas edades, uno de los pies era zambo. Seis parámetros morfométricos fueron considerados para la comparación de graves alteraciones anatómicas en los pies normales y deformes; estos fueron: 1. Longitud máxima del talus, 2. Dimensión longitudinal de la cabeza del talus, 3. Ancho troclear anterior, 4. Altura medial máxima del talus, 5. Cuello talar y ángulo calcáneo, 6. Ángulo talocalcáneo. Todos los fetos con pie zambo congénito tienen una deformidad similar del esqueleto del pie. Las anomalías graves observadas fueron el menor tamaño del talus del pie zambo, aumento de la desviación media y retraso en el crecimiento plantar, deformación de la cabeza y región del cuello talar. También se observó una subluxación medial plantar del hueso navicular, con un consecuente deformidad de las facetas articulares de la cabeza del talus. La uniformidad y consistencia de las anomalías anatómicas fueron los rasgos más llamativos en este estudio.

Pie zambo: revisión de los tratamientos actuales / The clubfoot: an overview of current procedures

Introducción. El pie zambo idiopático es un diagnóstico de exclusión, similar al de la escoliosis idiopática, que requiere antes de definirlo la búsqueda de una causa. Exploración. La evaluación clínica no debe limitarse a una simple exploración ortopédica, sino que también debe incluir una exploración pediátrica completa, evaluando la edad mental del paciente, buscando posibles anomalías del tubo neural o trastornos vertebrales, descartar cualquier forma de presentación de patología neurológica, como miopatías congénitas o incluso una mínima artrogriposis, además de explorar cuidadosamente la cara y las manos. Diagnóstico. Recomendamos practicar ecografías para explorar la médula espinal, la situación del encéfalo, del corazón, etc. Algunas patologías pueden diagnosticarse de forma secundaria. Además, la rigidez del retropié podría sugerir una sinostosis neonatal encubierta. Tratamiento. Hay que valorar correctamente el pie tras el nacimiento. El tratamiento se considera una urgencia donde cada día cuenta. La ayuda y cooperación de los padres son esenciales. No es recomendable seguir con el tratamiento ortopédico una vez deja de producir mejoría, siendo necesario entonces la cirugía. Para ser un experto en su rehabilitación es imprescindible conocer la fisiopatología del pie zambo. La rehabilitación se debe adaptar al desarrollo psicomotriz del lactante. El médico rehabilitador ocupa un papel primordial, y debe cooperar con los padres y formar parte de un equipo multidisciplinar, refiriendo al cirujano cualquier problema o bloqueo que aparezca durante la rehabilitación. Recomendamos encarecidamente la presencia del rehabilitador en quirófano para conocer la importancia de las retracciones fibrosas. Para poder especializarse en este campo es necesario formarse de manera continuada. La imagen del movimiento es de mucha utilidad para conocer la fisiopatología y evolución con los tratamientos de cada pie; sin olvidar que la cirugía es una fase integrada del tratamiento que se ha de prolongar durante todo el período de crecimiento (AU)

Introduction. Idiopathic clubfoot, like idiopathic scoliosis, is an exclusion diagnosis, which requires the identification of a cause before it can be defined. Examination. Clinical assessment should not be limited to a simple orthopedic examination – it should also include a full pediatric examination, in the course of which the mental age of the patient should be determined and possible neural tube defects and vertebral disorders should be sought without excluding the existence of any type of neurological pathology like a congenital myopathy or even a mild arthrogriposis. The patient’s face and hands should also be meticulously examined Diagnosis. We recommend that ultrasounds should be performed to explore the spinal cord, the condition of the brain, the heart, etc. as some pathologies tend to be detected incidentally. In addition, rearfoot rigidity could suggest an “undercover” neonatal synostosis. Treatment. The foot should be correctly assessed upon birth. Treatment of this pathology is an emergency and each day counts. Parents’ help and involvement cannot be overemphasized. It is not advisable to carry on with orthopedic treatment once it ceases to improve the patients’ condition. At this point, surgery becomes necessary. In order to become an expert in clubfoot rehabilitation, it is imperative to understand the condition’s physiopathology. The rehabilitation program should be adapted to the infant’s psychomotor development. The rehab physician, whose role is of paramount importance, should actively cooperate with the patient’s parents and participate in a multi-disciplinary team, immediately reporting to the surgeon any problem or blockage that may arise during the rehabilitation process. We strongly recommend that the rehab physician should be in attendance at the OR during surgery so that they can understand the importance of fibrous retractions. In order to become a specialist in this field, comprehensive training is necessary. Images of the moving foot are extremely useful in order to become acquainted with the phyisiopathology of the limb and to understand what results can be achieved with treatment. Of course it should not be forgotten that surgery is an integral part of the patient’s treatment, which should last throughout their growing phase (AU)

Pé torto eqüinovaro congênito / Talipes. Congenital talipes equinovarus

O pé torto eqüinovaro congênito (PTC) é uma patologia complexa cuja etiologia näo foi ainda totalmente elucidada. Caracteriza-se por inversäo e eqüinismo do retropé associado à inversäo e aduçäo do médio e antepé. Anatomicamente, o defeito primário é a subluxaçäo medial e plantar do complexo articular talocalcâneo-navículo-cubóide que ocorre durante o desenvolvimento embrionário. Seu tratamento permanece contrvertido e dificilmente encontramos duas abordagens semelhantes, cruenta e incruenta