Abstract
Subjects: Six lower extremities in 5 female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were examined. The average age at the time of surgery was 61.8 years (range: 53-68 years) and the average post-operative follow-up period was 34.0 months (range: 14-45 months).
Surgical Procedure: The first metatarsophalangeal joint was replaced with a Swanson flexible hinge toe implant with a grommet. Metatarsal head resection was performed for the remaining toes.
Results: There were no cases of implant displacement or damage, post-operative infections, or recurrence of plantar callosities. The average hallux valgus angle was 41.0 before surgery, 15.3 immediately after surgery, and 26.8 at the final examination. Improvements were seen in the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Foot (JSSF) RA foot ankle scale from an average of 39.8 points before surgery to 81.3 points at the final examination.
Conclusions: This surgical procedure provides excellent pain relief and is esthetically pleasing, but requires careful monitoring in the long term.
