Superconstructs in the treatment of charcot foot deformity: plantar plating, locked plating, and axial screw fixation

Management of Charcot's deformity of the foot and ankle continues to challenge physicians. Medical co-morbidity, peripheral neuropathy, vascular disease, and immune impairment cause severe problems for these patients and, when combined with neuroarthropathy, can lead to amputation. Progressive bony deformity and bone resorption, which may accompany neuroarthropathy, only increase the challenge of surgical treatment. These challenges have led physicians to develop "superconstruct" techniques to improve fixation, whereby fusion is extended beyond the zone of injury to include joints that are not affected, bone resection is performed to shorten the extremity to allow for adequate reduction of deformity without undue tension on the soft tissue envelope, the strongest device is used that can be tolerated by the soft tissue envelope; and the devices are applied in a novel position that maximizes mechanical function. This article reviews three techniques designed to achieve lasting deformity correction and successful arthrodesis: plantar plating, locked plating, and axial screw fixation.