CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENT HALLUX ABDUCTOR VALGUS - A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW

The authors review 63 surgical cases of adolescent hallux abducto valg us in 54 patients from the Foot and Ankle Institute of the Pennsylvani a College of Podiatric Medicine over a 7-year period. Twenty-five clos ing base wedge and capital osteotomies were evaluated for radiographic changes. Three quarters of a group of 65 patients with adolescent hal lux abducto valgus were found to have an abnormally high metatarsus ad ductus angle. Patients who had a closing base wedge osteotomy had high er preoperative radiographic angles for the intermetatarsal, metatarsu s adductus, hallux abductus, and proximal articular set angles as well as the tibial sesamoid position. Those patients had 4.49-degrees more intermetatarsal angle correction than the patients who had a capital osteotomy. Implications for evaluation and treatment are discussed.