Percutaneous fixation in clubfoot surgery: a radiographic and gait study

Twenty patients with Type II clubfeet were evaluated an average of 3.1 years after complete surgical soft tissue release. A pinned group had fixation of the talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joints and a non-pinned group had no fixation. The control group consisted of 10 children without foot ailments. Radiographic measurements of talocalcaneal and talus-first metatarsal angles and frequencies of dorsal and medial navicular subluxation were not different for the two treatment groups. Foot progression angle was not significantly different for the two treatment groups, but was significantly different between all clubfoot patients (3.6 degrees of in-toeing) and the control group (5.0 degrees of out-toeing). Tourniquet time was significantly greater for the pinned than for the non-pinned group, but the duration of surgery was similar. Similar radiographic and gait measurement findings suggest that clubfoot surgery with and without percutaneous fixation have comparable outcomes.