Percutaneous foot surgery for the treatment of brachymetatarsia: A case report.

BACKGROUND

The term brachimetatarsia refers to an abnormal shortening of the metatarsal bones as a result of early closure of the growth plate. The deformity, which may be congenital, idiopathic or secondary to surgery or trauma, may result in functional as well as cosmetic alterations, which require correction by an orthopedic surgeon. The purpose of this report is to illustrate the possibility of treating this condition by means of a minimally invasive technique which affords results as satisfactory as those of conventional techniques but with fewer complications. We report on the case of a 35-year-old female with a diagnosis of congenital brachymetatarsia, with bilateral involvement of the fourth toe.

METHODS

We present our experience of surgical correction of brachymetatarsia using percutaneous surgery. The surgical technique is illustrated by a case report with a follow-up of 2 years.

RESULTS

Radiographic and cosmetic correction of the deformity were satisfactory after 9 weeks of treatment. No complications were observed during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Although minimally invasive surgery for treatment of brachymetatarsia is a relatively unknown or explored procedure, it provides good clinical and radiological results in experienced hands. In addition, it causes little trauma to the soft tissues, reduces operative time and allows patients a better and faster functional recovery, offering clear advantages over other techniques used for correcting this bone malformation.