Abstract
Aims: To study the clinical and radiological result of arthroreisis with Giannini’s endo-orthotic implant in the treatment of paediatric flat-foot. Methods: 65 cases were studied in 37 patients, 60% were males and 40% females. The follow-up was 26.5 months. The total average age was 9.4, range of 5 and 14 years old. Surgery in patients that had suffered fractures, inflammatory, rheumatic or neurological processes was contraindicated. We studied: pain, functional and sport activity, as well as the development of radiographic measurements at 3, 6 and every 12 months after the operation. Results: Pain improved from preoperative 60% to postoperative 6.2%. The percentage of postoperative footprint was normal in 58.5% of the cases and first degree flatfoot in 41.5%. Postoperative sport activities were taken up by 49.2% of the patients. The 8 mm endoorhotic implant was the most used (66%). We performed Achilles tenotomy in 58.5% of the cases. The radiographic angles whose correction was greater with regard to the preoperative angle were: talar- first metatarsal (96%) and calcaneal- pitch (34%). Postoperatively the endo-orthotic implant-talus angle had an influence on the rest of the radiographic measurements. There was no postoperative deterioration in any of the radiographic angles measured in the monitoring period. Complications: we had 10.7%, with postoperative pain as a most frequent (6.2%). There was no infection or local reaction to a foreign body. We did not remove the endoorthotic implant systematically. Conclusions: 1) Footprint became normal in over half the cases; 2) radiological morphology was corrected 2/3 of the cases and it did not alter throught follow-up; 3) surgical technique respect anatomical structure of the foot, without medial surgical time.
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.
