10 Os Calcis Fractures

Abstract

The history of open operations in the treatment of calcaneal fractures apparently begins with a procedure described by Lenormant and Wilmoth11 in the French Journal of Chirurgie in 1932. Thereafter, the method was used sporadically in Europe but was not adopted on the American continent. All the initial operative procedures used in North America were devoted to the concept of arthrodesis of the subtalar joint alone or in combination with other tarsal joints. Gallie's6 classic description of his subtalar fusion by a posterior approach was published in 1943, and an excellent series of cases utilizing this method were analyzed separately by Harris9 in 1946, Geckeler7 in 1950 and Dick5 in 1953. Open reduction without fusion was first reported in this country by Whittaker17 in 1947. His operation involved metal fixation of the fragments and was never widely accepted. At about the same time Pridie15 reported his concept of complete excision of the calcaneous as treatment for comminuted fractures of this bone. Most of us have felt this to be too radical a procedure, and its use has certainly not been widespread.