Objective

To assess the usefulness of radiographs alone to evaluate acute midfoot/forefoot injuries. We believe that foot injuries are often under-estimated and that CT scans should be routinely obtained to aid in their management and avoid additional morbidity for patients.

Progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD) is a common condition with an estimated prevalence of 3.3% in women greater than 40 years. Progressive in nature, symptomatic flatfoot deformity can be a debilitating condition due to pain and limited physical function; it has been shown to have one of the poorest preoperative patient reported outcome scores in foot and ankle pathologies, second to ankle arthritis. Operative reconstruction of PCFD can be performed in a single-stage manner or through multiple stages. The purpose of this study is to compare costs for non-staged (NS) flatfoot reconstructions, which typically require longer hospital stays, with costs for staged (S) reconstructions, where patients usually do not require hospital admission. To our knowledge, the comparison between single-staged and multi-staged flatfoot reconstructions has not been previously done. This study will run in conjunction with one that compares rates of complications and reoperation, as well as patient reported outcomes on function and pain associated with S and NS flatfoot reconstruction. Overall, the goal is to optimize surgical management of PCFD, by addressing healthcare costs and patient outcomes. At our academic centre with foot and ankle specialists, we selected one surgeon who primarily performs NS flatfoot reconstruction and another who primarily performs S procedures. Retrospective chart reviews of patients who have undergone either S or NS flatfoot reconstruction were performed from November 2011 to August 2021. Length of operating time, number of primary surgeries, length of hospital admission, and number of reoperations were recorded. Cost analysis was performed using local health authority patient rates for non residents as a proxy for health system costs. Rates of operating room per hour and hospital ward stay per diem in Canadian dollars were used. The analysis is currently ongoing. 72 feet from 66 patients were analyzed in the S group while 78 feet from 70 patients were analyzed in the NS group. The average age in the S and NS group are 49.64 +/− 1.76 and 57.23 +/− 1.68 years, respectively. The percentage of female patients in the S and NS group are 63.89% and 57.69%, respectively. All NS patients stayed in hospital post-operatively and the average length of stay for NS patients is 3.65 +/− 0.37 days. Only 10 patients from S group required hospital admission. The average total operating room cost including all stages for S patients was $12,303.12 +/− $582.20. When including in-patient ward costs for patients who required admission from S group, the average cost for operating room and in-patient ward admission was $14,196.00 +/− $1,070.01 after flatfoot reconstruction. The average in-patient ward admission cost for NS patients was $14,518.83 +/− $1,476.94 after flatfoot reconstruction. The cost analysis for total operating room costs for NS patients are currently ongoing. Statistical analysis comparing S to NS flatfoot reconstruction costs are pending. Preliminary cost analysis suggests that multi-staged flatfoot reconstruction costs less than single-staged flatfoot reconstruction. Once full assessment is complete with statistical analysis, correlation with patient reported outcomes and complication rate can guide future PCFD surgical management

The accessory navicular (AN) is a separate ossification center for the tuberosity of the navicular that is present in approximately 5–14% of the general population. It produces a firm prominence on the plantar-medial aspect of the midfoot. There may be a co-existent flexible flatfoot, but there is no conclusive evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between the two conditions. It is usually not symptomatic, and few cases necessitate operative intervention. When symptoms require surgical treatment, excision of the AN, with or without advancement of the posterior tibial tendon, usually is considered. To describe new technique of AN excision and tibialis posterior tendon advancement (TPTA) using a bio-absorbable tenodesis screw and to investigate the outcome of this cohort in comparison to conventional simple excision. Retrospective 2 Cohort study. Single surgeon series from single institution. All patients younger than 18 years from Jan 2000 to Aug 2012 undergoing simple excision (SE) or excision with TPTA were identified from the prospectively collected database. Case notes were reviewed and data regarding demographics, indications for surgery, presence of Pes Planus, time from presentation to surgery, length of follow-up, patient satisfaction and complications were recorded. Pain and functional outcome were measured using Visual Analogue Score (VAS) and patient reported outcome measure- Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire- Child and Teenager Version. There were 6 patients in SE group. There were 3 males and 3 females. Mean age at surgery was 13.9 years. Surgical indication was painful swelling in all patients and in addition 1 had pes planus. There were 7 in SE & TPTA group. There were 3 males and 4 females. The mean age at surgery was 13.1 years. Surgical indication was painful swelling in all patients and in addition 1 had hind foot rigidity and 3 had pes planus. Postoperative protocol involved weight bearing with or without cast in SE group and non-weight bearing in cast for 6 weeks in TPA group. All patients reported excellent to good outcome. There were no complications and no reoperations after tendon advancement. In conclusion, based on our study findings, we think AN excision and TP advancement is a safe and effective technique for symptomatic pain relief. It is a novel technique which achieved excellent to good outcome in our series

Deformity correction has become a more common intervention in an attempt to mitigate pain from an arthritic ankle while hopefully preventing progression of intraarticular disease. Malunion takes the form of angulation, rotation, translation, and length discrepancy, all of which must be measured and addressed by the surgeon. Contact surface area within the ankle joint can decrease up to 40% with angular malalignment, with subsequent increase in contact pressures in the residual joint surface. As the apex of the deformity moves closer to the ankle joint, pressures increase further. There are no rules as to the magnitude of deformity that necessitates correction, but the literature suggests 15 degrees of varus alalignment, 10 degrees of valgus malalignment and 20 mm shift medial to the mechanical axis all should undergo correction. This lecture will explore: assessment of deformity, methods of correction, and literature results on the impact deformity correction has on ankle arthritis. As a separate issue, we will also address fibula length and the impact that shortening has on creating ankle arthritis and flatfoot

Peroneal spastic flatfeet without coalition or other known etiologies in adolescence remain a challenge to manage. We present eight such cases with radiological and surgical evidence of bony abnormalities in the subtalar region just anterior to the posterior facet. All patients had presented as tertiary referrals with recalcitrant pain and had undergone a trial of orthotics and physiotherapy. Diagnostic workup included a clinical and radiographic evaluation. Clinical examination consisted of gait examination, foot alignment, range of motion, torsional profile of the lower limbs and marking of symptomatic foci. All patients had standing weightbearing AP and lateral projections of the foot and ankle. CT and/or MRI scans of the foot were performed in axial coronal and saggital planes. Coalitions and other intraarticular known pathologies were ruled out. All patients had bilateral flatfeet but unilateral peroneal spasm. All patients had an accessory talar facet in front of the posterior subtalar facet. This caused lateral impingement between the facet and the calcaneum, confirmed by bone edema around the sinus tarsi. All patients had stiff subtalar joints with very limited movement under anaesthesia, indicating peroneal muscle contracture. Patients were treated with a combination of facet excision, peroneal lengthening and calcaneal lengthening to correct the flatfoot and prevent lateral impingement. We propose a mechanism of subtalar impingement between the anterior extra-articular part of the talar lateral process and the Gissane angle and believe that resection of the accessory facet without addressing the the primary driving force for impingement, which is the structural malalignment in flatfeet, would only give partial relief of symptoms. This impingement appears to occur with growth spurts in adolescents, in patients with known flatfeet

Purpose. Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons encounter referrals from primary care practitioners and pediatricians that are benign in nature or within accepted limitations for physiological musculoskeletal variance. These referrals are believed to be secondary to insufficient pediatric musculoskeletal expertise and consume already limited pediatric orthopaedic resources. To date, our annual CME course dedicated to pediatric musculoskeletal medicine is the only one of its kind in Canada. It includes didactic teaching as well as a clinic of unnecessary referrals in which participants examine patients and receive feedback from consultants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a pediatric musculoskeletal CME course on the quality of local outpatient referrals over a four year period. Method. Retrospective chart reviews were performed to evaluate outpatient referrals at a tertiary orthopaedic center over an eight month period prior to the commencement of an annual CME course (2006–2007) and three years following its initiation (2010). 1041 consecutive referrals from the first time period and 1124 consecutive referrals from the second time period were collected. Referrals for normal conditions within physiological tolerance were identified based on the final clinical diagnosis by the consultant orthopaedic surgeon and the scheduled follow up. Results. 872 referrals from the first time period and 1006 referrals from the second time period were provided by primary care practitioners and pediatricians. Prior to the CME course, 27.7% of referrals were for physiological conditions. These referrals were most often associated with specific benign diagnoses: torsional variation (88%) and flexible flatfoot (45%). Three years following the induction of the CME course, referrals for physiological conditions from family physicians decreased by 20.1%. Conclusion. Results from this study suggest that a pediatric musculoskeletal CME course designed for family physicians and pediatricans is an effective method for reducing unnecessary local pediatric orthopaedic referrals. We advocate that additional CME initiatives based on our annual course be implemented in communities across Canada in order to improve patient care and optimize the outpatient referral process