Talipes equinovarus or Clubfoot: A review of study approaches, management and trends in Pakistan

This paper aims to assess the status of scientific literature on talipes equinovarus (TEV) published from Pakistan, to get an insight into the trend in knowledge over the years, and to highlight study gaps in this area. A detailed review of published literature was conducted from November 2019 to January 2020. ‘Talipes/congenital talipes’, ‘clubfoot/congenital clubfoot’, ‘talipes equinovarus /congenital talipes equinovarus’ AND ‘Pakistan’ were used as key terms. Different search engines, PubMed, PakMediNet, ScienceDirect, Embase and Google Scholar were utilized to retrieve articles. A total of 63 articles were retrieved. The hotspot of TEV research in Pakistan has been its treatment and management. Over the years, treatment trend has shifted from operative to conservative; Ponseti method is predominantly employed. Hospital-based studies focusing on pediatric patients are common while population-based studies are devoid. In majority of cohorts, there is preponderance of male patients, idiopathic and unilateral cases. There is, however, scarcity of basic research on the prevalence, etiology, risk factors, clinical heterogeneity, associated anomalies, genetics, and molecular diagnostics of TEV. In conclusion, prudent scientific evidence is required for any policy-making and relevant public health action. Hence, large scale population-based studies are required for a broader overview and understanding the clinical spectrum of TEV.