[Surgery of congenital clubfoot in Don Orione, Health Center for physical handicaps of Ivory Coast (About 554 feet)].

OBJECTIVES

Treatment of congenital clubfoot improved in occidental country. We have studied the epidemiology, clinical and therapeutic aspects of this malformation in the context of Africa.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

This was a retrospective study. Two thousand five hundred and sixty-two patients were hospitalised and operated during 12 years, 362 of them were diagnosed with congenital clubfoot. This represented 14,1% of the surgical diseases, with an incidence of 30,2 cases per year. The male to female ratio was 1,6:1, and ages ranged from 4 months to 38 years old, 59% of which were less than 15 years old. Two hundred and four (56,3%) patients had bilateral disease, 93 (25,7%) had right side disease and 65 (18%) had left sided disease. Considering the classification types we noted in our patient population 82% type III, 5% type II, 3% type I and 10% were undefined.

RESULTS

Posteromedial approach describe by Codivilla was used in 45,5% of cases. Codivilla approach associated with lateral access to the foot in 44,4% of cases, with dorsal access in 2,3%. Few patients (7,8%) have had another approach. One hundred and seventeen patients received physiotherapy prior, but all the patients operated have postoperative physiotherapy while wearing orthopaedic shoes. Results obtained were: good in 510 cases (92%), quite good in 35 cases (6,3%), fairly good in 7 cases (1,3%) and mediocre in 2 cases (0,4%).

CONCLUSION

The surgical aspect is still only a fraction of the entire treatment. It is imperative that physiotherapy is started immediately and orthopaedic shoes be worn postoperatively.