Mechanical comparison of cyclic loading in five different first metatarsal shaft osteotomies

The purposes of the current study were: 1. to analyze the relative fatigue endurance of five different first metatarsal shaft osteotomies (proximal crescentic, proximal chevron, Ludloff, Mau, and Scarf), as performed on sawbone models using the most common fixation techniques (part I); and 2. to compare the two more commonly used techniques (per part I results) in matched-pair cadaver specimens (part II). In part I, the proximal chevron and Mau osteotomies were significantly more stable (P < or = 0.005) than all other osteotomies except the Ludloff. In part II, there was no significant difference in fatigue endurance between the proximal chevron and Ludloff osteotomies.