1994 William J. Stickel Silver Award. Closing base wedge versus Austin bunionectomies for metatarsus primus adductus

Hallux abducto valgus with concomitant metatarsus primus adductus was treated by either an isolated Austin bunionectomy or by a combination of a modified McBride bunionectomy, along with a closing base wedge osteotomy, on a total of 73 patients (88 feet) from 1983 to 1993. Both subjective and objective similarities and differences were compared between these two groups of patients. Long-term elevation or depression of the first ray was analyzed by using a technique termed sagittal plane displacement. The prevalent preoperative symptoms were significantly reduced postoperatively in both groups of patients. Initial postoperative elevation of the first ray occurred in approximately one third of the cases in both groups. Long-term elevation of the first ray was greater with the base wedge osteotomy and did not change appreciably with the Austin procedure. The sagittal plane displacement method is a helpful tool in analyzing changes in the position of the first ray perioperatively.