Peroneus longus transfer for drop foot in Hansen disease

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Leprosy (Hansen's disease), caused by Mycobacterium leprae, frequently leads to nerve injury.
• Nerve damage in leprosy can manifest as autonomic, sensory, and motor neuropathy.
• Drop foot is a common disability in leprosy patients, affecting 2-5% of new diagnoses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the peroneus longus tendon transfer as a surgical option for correcting drop foot in leprosy patients.
• To compare this technique with the posterior tibial tendon transfer for drop foot correction.
• To identify specific cases where peroneus longus tendon transfer is advantageous.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical cases of leprosy patients with drop foot.
• Analysis of surgical outcomes for peroneus longus tendon transfer.
• Comparison with posterior tibial tendon transfer outcomes in similar patient cohorts.
• Focus on cases with intact peroneal tendons.

Main Results:

• Leprosy can cause isolated deep peroneal nerve involvement, unlike traumatic injuries.
• Peroneus longus tendon transfer is a viable alternative for drop foot correction in selected leprosy cases.
• This method is particularly suitable when peroneal tendons remain functional.

Conclusions:

• Peroneus longus tendon transfer offers an effective surgical solution for drop foot in leprosy patients with intact peroneal tendons.
• This technique provides an alternative to posterior tibial tendon transfer, addressing specific patterns of nerve involvement in Hansen's disease.