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[Treatment of vertical talus with the Dobbs method]
O Eberhardt1, F F Fernandez, T Wirth
1Orthopädische Klinik, Olgahospital, Stuttgart. o.eberhardt@klinikum-stuttgart.de
Aim:
The widely accepted treatment of vertical talus after casting is correction by extensive surgery. Dobbs described a new method for the treatment of vertical talus by casting and minimally invasive surgery. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of this new method.
Material And Method:
Between 11/06 and 11/09 we treated 7 patients with 12 vertical tali. Treatment followed the protocol of Dobbs. The initiation of treatment, number of casts, surgery, as well as clinical and radiological results were documented. To evaluate the radiological result we used the Hamanishi score.
Results:
From the beginning all feet could be treated successfully with the Dobbs method. According to the Hamanishi classification we have four excellent and five good results. Two feet had a relapse with subluxation or dislocation of the talonavicular joint.
Conclusion:
Treatment of vertical talus with the Dobbs method is successful. Extensive surgery could be reduced. We recommend the method as primary treatment for vertical talus.
