The Rochester bone trephine for small joint arthrodesis in the foot

The Rochester bone trephine is a useful instrument for performing small joint arthrodesis in the foot. The technique involves harvesting a dowel graft from the iliac crest and then inserting the graft into a recipient bed across the small joints in the foot. Minimal surgical trauma and patient discomfort result from this technique. Three cases are presented to illustrate the usefulness and diversity of this system.