The Mayday Distal First Metatarsal Osteotomy for Hallux Valgus: A Review After the Introduction of a New Instrument

Abstract

We present the short-term follow-up of 55 symptomatic hallux valgus deformities in 38 patients, treated operatively with a modification of the spike distal first metatarsal osteotomy, as described by Gibson and Piggott in 1962. The age range of the patients was 17 to 72 years at the time of surgery. The postoperative follow-up period was 12 to 55 months.

Excellent and good clinical and radiographic results were recorded in 96.2% of our patients. Two of the patients (3.8%) were dissatisfied; one of them complained of metatarsalgia after the procedure, and the other had stiffness of the metatarsophalangeal joint and metatarsalgia that had been present before surgery. Three others (5.45%) required revision after early postoperative displacement but were asymptomatic subsequently. We concluded that our technique is an effective method of treating mild hallux valgus deformities with the advantages of simplicity, no shortening of the first metatarsal, and no risk of dorsal tilting of the distal fragment.

Hallux valgus (lateral deviation of the great toe) is not a single disorder, as the name implies, but a complex deformity of the first ray that sometimes may involve the lesser toes. More than 130 procedures exist for the surgical correction of hallux valgus, which means that no treatment is unique. No single operation is effective for all bunions. ^5,22,29 The objectives of surgical treatment are to reduce pain, to restore articular congruency, and to narrow the forefoot without impairing function, by transferring weight to the lesser metatarsals either by shortening or by dorsal tilting of the first metatarsal. ^5,19,24,27 Patient selection is important for a satisfactory outcome after surgery of any kind, and our criteria were age, degree of deformity, presence of arthrosis, and subluxation of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. ^{1,5,13,19–21,24,29}

In this study, we present a new method of treating hallux valgus that has been used at Mayday University Hospital since 1990. The technique was first described at the British Orthopaedic Foot Surgery Society, Liverpool, November 1990, ⁷ and we now present the short-term follow-up results. The procedure is essentially a modification of the spike osteotomy of the neck of the first metatarsal, as described by Gibson and Piggott. ⁹ It has the advantages of simplicity, no shortening of the first metatarsal, and no risk of dorsal displacement of the distal fragment.