Foot deformities in adolescents and young adults with spina bifida

Spina bifida is generally accompanied by a high incidence of foot deformiti es. The goal of management is to achieve a plantigrade foot. Deformities ar e related to the level of the lesion. With thoracic lesions, the most frequ ent deformity is an equinus lesion (55%), a club foot with mid-lumbar lesio n (87%) and a calcaneal foot with sacral lesions (34%). No deformity was pr esent in 56% of feet in sacral lesion children. Club foot surgery before th e age of 2 years entails a high rate of recurrence (78%), necessitating red o surgery. A calcaneo-valgus deformity developed in 45% of ambulating patie nts with sacral lesions requiring operative stabilization of the foot. Pati ents with sacral lesions were almost the only ones who remained ambulators. Ambulation was not seen to be related to foot deformities in adolescents a nd young adults.