[Intermediate results with Swanson's hallux implant]

Fifty Swanson single stemmed metatarsophalangeal silastic great toe prostheses in 38 patients inserted between 1974 and 1984 in the Orthopaedic University Clinic of Innsbruck were reviewed. The authors compare results of hallux valgus correction and of hallux rigidus correction by the Swanson prostheses and conclude, that implant arthroplasty should not be performed to correct hallux valgus, but is an excellent procedure in the treatment of hallux rigidus, if the hallux valgus angle is not higher than 18 degrees.