Abstract
We report the radiological analysis of toe plasty for forefoot deformity of rheumatoid arthritis in fourteen feet of nine patients. All patients were females and ranging from 42 to 65 years old (average 56.2 y.o.). Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 84 months (average period 31 months). They were divided into two groups. Swanson flexible hinge toe implant was performed for the hallux in all cases. For lesser toes, resection arthroplasty was performed in five feet of three patients (first group), while shortening oblique osteotomy was performed in nine feet of six patients (second group).
Second group showed better improvement of spread foot than first group. And shortening of forefoot was well prevented in second group. Our results suggest that shortening oblique osteotomy of metatarsal bone for the lesser toes is more effective for forefoot deformity of rheumatoid arthritis than resction arthroplasty.
