The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 74, Issue 4 564-570, Copyright © 1992 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
The double-stemmed silicone-rubber implant for rheumatoid arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Long-term results
BH Moeckel, TP Sculco, MM Alexiades, PH Dossick, AE Inglis and CS Ranawat
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, N.Y. 10021.
Sixty-seven feet in forty-five patients who had rheumatoid arthritis were
followed for an average of six years (range, four to ten years) after an
operation on the forefoot that included resection of the
metatarsophalangeal heads or joints and the insertion of a double-stemmed
silicone-rubber implant in the first metatarsophalangeal joint. There were
forty-two women and three men, and the average age at the time of the
operation was fifty-six years (range, thirty-six to seventy-nine years).
The mean duration of known rheumatoid arthritis was fifteen years (range,
three to thirty-seven years). Resection of the metatarsophalangeal heads or
joints was performed through a plantar approach in forty-one feet and a
dorsal approach in twenty-six feet. A double-stemmed silicone-rubber
implant was placed in the first metatarsophalangeal joint in all feet. Each
patient was evaluated clinically and radiographically with use of a
foot-scoring system that was developed for this study. The results were
assessed for relief of pain, ability to walk (including the use of shoes),
presence of calluses or deformity, and radiographic findings. The average
preoperative foot score was 47 points; the score had improved to an average
of 81 points at the latest follow-up examination. A good or excellent
result was obtained in fifty-eight feet (87 per cent). Complications were
infrequent. In three feet, there was delayed healing of the wound; three
implants were removed because of dislocation and infection; and four feet
had revision to correct deformities of the lesser toes.