The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 64, Issue 3 438-443, Copyright © 1982 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Partial foot amputations in children. A comparison of the several types with the Syme amputation
WB Greene and JM Cary
We compared the results in fourteen children in whom part of the foot was
amputated with the results in a similar group of patients who had a Syme
amputation. Based on levels of activity, physical examination, prosthetic
requirements, ratio of the length of the fore part of the foot to the hind
part, and gait mechanics, we classified the children into three groups. In
Group I (patients with a metatarsal ray or transmetatarsal amputation) the
results were clearly superior to those in the group with Syme amputation.
In Group II (patients with a Lisfranc, mid-tarsal, or Chopart amputation
and no equinus contracture) the patients had better over-all function but
needed to make greater adjustments for gait than did those with a Syme
amputation. In Group III (patients with a Chopart amputation who had an
equinus contracture and inadequate length of the fore part of the foot) the
results were clearly inferior to those of patients with a Syme amputation.