Surgical treatment of clubfoot: the significance of talocalcaneonavicular malposition correction.

In a retrospective study on the surgical management of clubfoot based on clinical and radiographic assessments, 171 feet in 137 patients were reviewed. The surgical procedure was selected according to the degree of the deformity. The more severe cases (group A, 75 feet) were surgically treated according to Turco's one-stage posteromedial release, whereas the milder degrees of deformity (group B, 96 feet) were corrected by elongation of the Achilles tendon with posterior capsulotomy. The mean age of the patients at surgery was 12.5 months in group A and 5.2 months in group B. The mean follow-up time for both groups was 12.2 years. At follow-up, 24 feet (41%) in group A and 52 feet (68%) in group B required repeat surgery. In group A the results were good in 51 feet (68%), fair in 15 (20%), and poor in 9 (12%). In group B, good results were obtained in 44 feet (45%), barely satisfactory results in 25 (27%), and poor results in 27 (28%). It is suggested that the accurate correction of talocalcaneonavicular and calcaneocuboid malposition is a prerequisite for successful surgical treatment of clubfoot. There was a tendency for a better result in group A when the patients were surgically treated between 6 and 12 months of age.