[Fractures of the foot (excluding the talus and calcaneus)]

The submitted retrospective investigation analyzes a group of 108 casualties with injuries of the skeleton of the foot who were hospitalized in the years 1985-90. Excluded was the group of patients with fractures of the talus and calcaneus because they consider problems of these fractures specific. The structure of the group is influenced by the specialty of the authors' workplace--i.e. treatment of multiple injuries. The characteristic of the group, the mechanism of the injury, data concerning time, a summary of the diagnoses, primary treatment and complications are summarized in tables. Twenty-eight of the patients were checked after a time interval of 24-89 months (mean 51.5 months) following injury. X-ray revealed in all cases consolidation of the fracture, however, frequently in a dislocated position. The basis for evaluation was therefore the clinical examination: in 20 patients the finding was evaluated as normal (physiological); permanent sequelae recorded in eight patients are listed. Subjective evaluation was in most instances more favourable than the objective finding, in particular in patients with multiple injuries. The authors recommend to pay appropriate attention even to so-called "minor" injuries which must be also properly treated at the right time.