Great Toe Joint Hemi-Implant Failure

Hemi-joint implants for treatment of osteoarthritis of the great toe joint have been known to fail at times from a variety of reasons and often requires a return to the operating room for removal and/or conversion. We present an interesting case of a cobalt hemi-implant failure from metal allergy 16 months after implantation. This is an underreported event in podiatric literature. We present an interesting discussion, as we feel a review of metal allergy occurrence with joint implant replacement, whether preoperative screening, patch testing, or lymphocyte transformation testing might be of value. We encourage foot and ankle surgeons to include implant allergy in their differential diagnosis as a possible cause of implant failure.