Acquired cavo-varus deformity caused by an accessory calcaneus: a case report and literature review

Abstract

We describe an unusual cause of an acquired cavo-varus foot deformity produced by progressive enlargement of an accessory calcaneal ossicle. A 13-year-old boy with constitutional plano-valgus flat feet noted a gradual change in foot shape associated with lateral ankle pain on ambulation following an inversion injury 2 years earlier. CT and MRI scans confirmed a large accessory calcaneal ossicle lying within the sinus tarsi, with associated marrow oedema. Following surgical excision of the ossicle, the foot returned to its original shape and the symptoms were alleviated. This is the fifth reported case of an accessory calcaneal ossicle, but the only case that has occurred in a flatfooted individual. We also present the first reported MRI images of the lesion confirming pathological marrow oedema as a response to mechanical stress.