Abstract

When bunionette deformities are not responding to conservative treatment, several surgical procedures are available. Recently, minimal invasive techniques have been proposed with good results. We present our results of a strictly percutaneous 5th metatarsal osteotomy to correct the deformity with bandage after care. We present a retrospective review on 20 percutaneous distal oblique 5th metatarsal osteotomies for correction of bunionette deformity. Aftercare consisted of 5-6 weeks of corrective taping with full weight bearing using a post-op shoe. Patients were evaluated radiographically and clinically by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Lesser Toe Metatarsophalangeal-Inter-phalangeal scale, Visual Analogue scale (VAS) and Coughlin classification. At a mean follow-up of 27.05 months, the AOFAS improved from a mean of 51 points to 91.6 points (max 100). 90% of patients had good or excellent clinical result and a mean pain score on the visual analog scale was 0.7 out of 10. Radiographic evaluation showed a good correction of the intermetatarsal and metatarsophalangeal angle. We did not encounter any complications such as infections, wound breakdown, neurovascular problems, non-union or recurrence. The percutaneous hardware free corrective osteotomy is an effective, reliable and safe procedure concerning the treatment of bunionette deformity. The results are comparable with previously published outcomes of open and minimal invasive procedures with considerable less soft tissue damage, shorter operating time and the lack of internal fixation.