Scarf and Weil osteotomy for symptomatic hallux valgus does not fully remove second toe residual metatarsalgia

Abstract

Category: Bunion Introduction/Purpose: Patients with hallux valgus (HV) often experience concurrent second toe metatarsalgia due to altered forefoot biomechanics. Additional second toe Weil osteotomy has been performed to reduce transfer metatarsalgia as some studies have highlighted the presence of second toe pain after isolated HV correction. 1, 2 There is a paucity of literature evaluating residual second toe pain after these procedures . We hypothesize that combined Scarf/Weil osteotomy will result in less residual second toe pain while achieving good functioning outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of second toe pain after isolated scarf osteotomy versus combined Scarf/Weil osteotomy. Methods: Between January 2007 and June 2012, 439 patients underwent a scarf osteotomy for symptomatic hallux valgus at a tertiary hospital. Patients who underwent isolated scarf osteotomy were matched 1:1 to patients who had both Scarf and second toe Weil osteotomy. The following functional outcome scores were prospectively collected preoperatively and postoperatively at 6 and 24 months: American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Hallux Metatarsophalangeal-Interphalangeal (MTP-IP) Scale, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), SF36-Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS). Radiological outcomes such as the Hallux Valgus Angle (HVA) and Intermetatarsal Angle (IMA) were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS® 20.0 and significance was defined as a p-value = 0.05. The Student’s unpaired t-test was used to compare the radiological and functional outcomes between the two groups of patients, while the paired t-test was used to analyze improvement in pre- and postoperative outcomes within each group. Results: 94.4% of the patients were female and no difference in BMI. In the Scarf/Weil group, the HVA and IMA improved by 21.2 ± 10.2 and 8.2 ± 4.7 degrees respectively (both P<0.001). At 2 years, the AOFAS-hallux score improved by 26.6 ± 20.9 (p=0.034), AOFAS-second toe by 29.3 ± 20.9, VAS-hallux by 3.1 ± 3.4 (p<0.001), VAS-second toe by 3.6 ± 3.2 (p<0.001). In the Scarf group, the HVA and IMA improved by 17.1 ± 8.0 and 5.8 ± 4.3 degrees respectively (both p<0.001). At 2 years, the AOFAS-hallux score improved by 32.2 ± 21.2 (p=0.034), AOFAS-second toe by 13.0 ± 16.3 (p <0.001), VAS-hallux by 4.4 ± 3.3 (p<0.001), VAS-second toe by 1.2 ± 2.4 (p<0.001). Conclusion: A significant finding is that at 6 months and 2 years, the VAS-2nd toe score in the isolated Scarf group was 1 ± 0 point lower than the other group (p<0.001). All other functional outcome scores were comparable between the two groups at 6 months. Our findings suggest that shortening second toe Weil osteotomy for large HV deformity may not fully resolve second toe metatarsalgia in the short-term, providing useful information for preoperative counselling.