The Mitchell procedure for the treatment of adolescent hallux valgus. A long-term study

Abstract

Thirty patients who had had a total of fifty-one Mitchell procedures to correct adolescent hallux valgus deformities were examined clinically and radiographically an average of seven years (range, three to seventeen years) after the operation. The average age of the patients at the time of the operation was fifteen years (range, ten to nineteen years). The result was excellent in nineteen feet, good in sixteen, fair in six, and poor in ten. The fair and poor results were associated with recurrence of the deformity, stiffness (real or perceived), and unsightly scars. The cause of the fair and poor results was inadequate correction at the time of the operation in six feet and loss of fixation in two; the loss of fixation resulted in one recurrence and one malunion. The remaining eight patients who had a fair or poor result were not totally satisfied and had reservations about more than one of three categories (relief of discomfort, appearance, or range of motion). Seventeen feet had a plantar callosity beneath the second metatarsal head, suggesting increased load-bearing by the second metatarsal. Although sixteen callosities caused no symptoms at the most recent follow-up evaluation, the long-term implications of this altered pattern of weight-bearing are unknown.