Avascular necrosis following distal Chevron osteotomy of the first metatarsal

The authors present a retrospective study analyzing the radiographic frequency of avascular necrosis following distal Chevron osteotomy of the first metatarsal. A total of 164 procedures performed on 104 patients were evaluated radiographically at a follow-up period of 12 to 91 months, with a mean followup of 30.4 months. Standard anteroposterior radiographs of the foot were taken and evaluated independently by each of the three senior authors and two radiologists. No radiographs revealed evidence of avascular necrosis in the first metatarsal head. While avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head has been reported to occur with varying frequencies, based on this study the authors believe that avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head is an infrequent complication following distal Chevron osteotomy.