Related Experiment Videos
[Treatment of clubfoot]
E Nesse1, T Terjesen, H Rønningen
1Ortopedisk avdeling, Regionsykehuset i Trondheim.
Insights
Early surgical release for clubfoot yields better outcomes. Operations before age two significantly improve results in pediatric patients, highlighting the importance of timely intervention for this congenital foot deformity.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Pediatric orthopedics
- Congenital deformities
Context:
- Clubfoot (congenital talipes equinovarus) is a common pediatric orthopedic condition.
- Treatment often involves serial plaster casts and may include neonatal tenotomies.
- Surgical intervention is sometimes necessary for persistent or recurrent cases.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of surgical interventions for clubfoot in children.
- To identify factors influencing treatment success, particularly the timing of operative procedures.
Summary:
- This study reviewed 48 patients (70 clubfeet) aged 4-14 years, assessing outcomes after primary treatment with casts and/or neonatal tenotomies.
- Operative treatment, including posterior and postero-medial release, was performed on 53 feet (75%) at a median age of 10 months.
- Satisfactory results (excellent/good) were achieved in 60% of cases, with fair in 24% and poor in 16%.
Impact:
- Surgical release of clubfoot before the age of two years demonstrated significantly better clinical outcomes.
- These findings underscore the critical importance of early surgical intervention for optimizing clubfoot treatment results.
- The study provides valuable data for orthopedic surgeons managing pediatric clubfoot cases.
Abstract:
48 patients (70 club-feet) were reviewed clinically between the age of 4 and 14 years. The primary treatment had been serial plaster casts in the case of 43 feet and additional neonatal tenotomies in 27 feet. Operative treatment after the neonatal period was performed on 53 feet (75%) at a median age of ten months (2-60 months). Surgical procedures were posterior release in 29 and postero-medial release in 24 feet. Further surgery was required in the case of 18 feet. Satisfactory results (excellent and good) were obtained for 42 feet (60%), but fair results for 17 feet (24%) and poor results for 11 feet (16%). The results were significantly better when the release operation was performed before the patient was 2 years of age.