A Case of Mangled Foot With Midfoot Bone Defect

The decision between amputation and reconstruction for mangled feet is often challenging. The foot must be functional for reconstruction to be considered successful. In this report, we present a case of a mangled foot with a metatarsal bone defect.

A man in his 50s presented to the hospital after a heavy load fell on his left foot at work. He was diagnosed with an open dislocation fracture of the Lisfranc joint (Gustilo IIIC), a comminuted fracture of the navicular bone, and a defect of the intermediate cuneiform bone.

A foot ring-type external fixator was applied in an arched position to stabilize the dislocation. An antibiotic cement spacer was inserted into the bone defect. The wound was managed with local negative pressure therapy, followed by placement of an autologous bone graft and a phalangeal skin flap. The patient could walk independently 1 year after surgery.

The patient's dislocated fracture of the Lisfranc joint, complicated by the absence of a keystone bone, was reconstructed using a foot ring-type external fixator with wires positioned to preserve the arch mechanism. As a result, both bone reconstruction and soft-tissue reconstruction were achieved, leading to high patient satisfaction.