Introduction

Foot and ankle is a well-established and growing sub specialty in orthopaedics. It accounts for 20 to 25 per cent of an average department's workload. There are two well established foot and ankle specialist journals but for many surgeons the Journal of Bone and Surgery (JBJS) remains the preeminent journal in orthopaedics and a highly sought after target journal for publication of research. It is our belief that foot and ankle surgery is underrepresented in the JBJS. We undertook a study to test this hypothesis.

Akins original description of his osteotomy did not describe the use of any metal work. Today the osteotomy is most commonly held and fixed with either a staple or screw. We describe the results obtained with a simple suture technique. Methods Data was collected prospectively on 125 patients undergoing an Akin osteotomy. Hallux valgus (HV) and intermetatarsal (IM) angles pre and postoperatively were recorded. Patients were reviewed at 6 week follow up. Cost analysis was also performed comparing different fixation types.

111 of the patients were female and 14 male. The average age at time of surgery was 49 years. 104 cases were in conjunction with hallux valgus correction while 21 cases were for hallux interphalangeus. The mean preoperative HV angle was 33.3 degrees (range 22 to 53), and the IM angle 13.3 degrees (range 9 to 25). At the 6 week follow up all patients had shown signs of radiological union. The postoperative HV angle was 12.4 degrees (range 7 to 17) and the IM angle 6.4 degrees (range 5 to 11). All patients maintained their correction. There were no complications, infections or fixation problems. All patients were satisfied with their surgery and would have it repeated again. The suture technique was the most cost effective method.

We describe a quick, easy, implant free method of fixing the Akin osteotomy. There is no need for metalwork removal and in today's world of austerity and the current climate of widespread budget constraints we describe a cost effective method which is clinically just as effective as methods requiring a staple or screw.