Midfoot arthrodesis using a locking anterior cervical plate as adjunctive fixation: early experience with a new...

A retrospective review was performed on 14 patients (20 arthrodeses) who had undergone midfoot arthrodesis with a semi-constrained, locking anterior cervical plate as a form of adjunctive fixation. Fusion sites where the plate was used for the purpose of arthrodesis included the talonavicular joint, medial naviculocuneiform joints, first metatarsal cuneiform joint, and the calcaneal cuboid joint. All arthrodesis sites used one other type of fixation for the purpose of axial compression. Twenty midfoot arthrodesis sites went on to radiographic union at a mean of 9.1+/-1.5 weeks. A single complication of hardware irritation occurred in one patient that resolved after plate removal. This semi-constrained, locking anterior cervical plate appears to be a viable adjunct to fixation constructs for the purpose of midfoot arthrodesis.