Medial eminence thickness with and without hallux valgus

The purpose of this study was to determine if hypertrophy of the medial eminence occurs in patients with hallux valgus. Thirty-three patients (50 consecutive feet) who underwent surgical correction for hallux valgus were evaluated. They had preoperative and postoperative radiographs. The hallux valgus angle, intermetatarsal angle and size of the medial eminence were recorded. The same measurements were then obtained from the radiographs of 50 randomly selected, age-matched controls with a hallux valgus angle less than 15 degrees and intermetatarsal less than 9 degrees. The average width of the medial eminence was 4.4 mm in the hallux valgus group and 4.1 mm in the control group. In most patients, hypertrophy of the medial eminence is not a component of the pathology.