The Ellis Jones Method of Treating Chronic Peroneal Subluxation: Revisited and Colorized After 87 Years

Abstract

Chronic cases of peroneal subluxation typically call for surgical treatment; however, research on current surgical procedures suggests nonuniformity. The purpose of this study is to remind surgeons of the efficacy of an older surgical method by using the case of a selected patient. In this study, the Ellis Jones procedure was performed on a patient who had been suffering from a chronic peroneal subluxation for 22 years, since, in this particular case, other approaches were deemed likely to be unsuccessful. The patient had hypertrophied, frayed, and swollen tendons, which were unsuitable to be rerouted, whereas the superior peroneal retinaculum was diminished and deepening procedures would not be able to establish sufficient volume for retaining the hypertrophied tendons. After the debridement and repair of the peroneal tendons, ¼ of the lateral Achilles tendon was split, passed through a hole in the fibula, and sutured onto itself, and the subluxation path of the peroneal tendons was closed with an effective tendon barrier. The patient returned to work after 8 weeks of the surgery and was followed up for 4 years postoperatively. On selected patients, the Ellis Jones surgical method might therefore still be applied.

Levels of Evidence: Level V