[Surgical treatment of flatfoot resulting from calcaneal fractures malunion]

To explore the operative approach and efficacy of flatfoot after calcaneal fractures malunion.

A total of 116 flatfoot patients after old calcaneal fractures were treated from January 1998 to January 2008. There were 94 males and 22 females with an average age of 33.5 years old (range: 16 - 46). They included unilateral flatfoot after old calcaneal fractures (n = 110) and bilateral flatfoot after old calcaneal fractures (n = 6). The surgical treatments included open reduction, calcaneal osteotomy without subtalar fusion or a reconstruction of calcaneal thalamus and subtalar arthrodesis.

A total of 101 patients were followed up for an average of 14 months (range: 12 - 24). No wound healing problem or infection was observed. Solid union was obtained without redislocation in all patients. The mean time of bone union was 12 weeks (range: 10 - 14). The mean time of complete weight loading was 13 weeks (range: 11 - 15 weeks). The height of foot arch increased from 4.2 mm ± 1.7 mm to 14.1 mm ± 4.1 mm (P < 0.05). Calcaneal inclination angle increased from 11.2° ± 2.5° to 19.1° ± 4.4° (P < 0.05). Bohler angle increased from 5.4° ± 3.5° to 25.8° ± 5.2° (P < 0.05). Meary angle recovered from 22.2° ± 4.4° to 5.1° ± 3.2° (P < 0.05). The mean AOFAS Ankle and Hindfoot score increased from 33.4 (range: 27 - 43) to 85.8 (range: 78 - 98).

As to flatfoot after old calcaneal fractures, surgical treatment has a favorable efficacy. A customized operative approach may achieve a satisfactory outcome.