Arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint as salvage for the failed Keller procedure.

Arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint was performed in eleven patients (sixteen feet) after a Keller procedure had failed. Multiple intramedullary threaded Steinmann pins were used to fix the bone at the site of the arthrodesis, and a successful arthrodesis was achieved in each patient. Interposition of a graft of bone from the iliac crest was done in four feet with an excessively short hallux. Lateral metatarsalgia that was due to intractable keratoses on the plantar part of the foot was relieved in eleven (92 per cent) of the twelve feet that had it preoperatively. Cock-up deformity of the hallux was also improved. Residual stiffness of the interphalangeal joints, which was a major preoperative problem, was not improved. Arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint is a useful procedure to salvage a failed result of the Keller procedure.