[Treatment options for brachymetatarsia]

Brachymetatarsia can be congenital, idiopathic or secondary and describes an abnormal shortening of a metatarsal bone. The indications for treatment are not only due to cosmesis. The shortening of a ray changes the biomechanics of the foot and can lead to metatarsalgia. A frequent clinical feature is dorsal dislocation of a toe causing painful shoe conflict and disturbed proprioception. There are three main options for operative correction: lengthening osteotomy, interposition of a tricortical bone and gradual lengthening by callus distraction. While one stage lengthening procedures such as osteotomy and interposition are more appropriate for correction of moderate length deficiencies, the callus distraction method is more suitable for larger elongation. Common to all procedures is a long-term treatment with a high risk of different complications whereby patient compliance can be problematical.