Abstract
Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of Cincinnati incision release in resistant clubfoot. Methods: 130 children with clubfoot deformity were treated at Our lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, during the four year period from January, 1994, toDecember, 1997. A Cincinnati release was performed on 41 feet in 32 patients with a resistant club-foot deformity. All the children had a previous hind foot release at the age of three months. At the time of surgery the children were aged between 9 months and 1.5 years with one exception. The average follow-up period was 60 months.
This approach enabled the surgeon to correct the deformity in all planes simultaneously, with a clearer visualization of the anatomical structures.
Emphasis was placed on correcting the foot position to neutral and in particular avoiding over-correction. The corrected foot position was maintained by inserting three pins at the time of surgery, which were removed 6 weeks later. Serial casts were used for a period of 16 weeks. Tarso-pronator boots were used to maintain correction in the ambulant child. Results: Parent satisfaction with the operation was very high and the children tolerated the procedure well with no significant post- operative complications. Using the Magone functional rating system 81% of the feet was good or excellent, with 19% fair results. There were no poor results in our series. All the children were pain free and no child suffered from limitation of daily activities. Conclusion: We conclude that the Cincinnati incision release technique is an effective method of correcting the deformity in resistant clubfeet. With meticulous attention to surgical technique complications can be minimized.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Dr. Frantz Langlais. Correspondence should be addressed to him at EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
