Promising results in a 3-year follow-up for adults undergoing a one-stage surgery for residual talipes equinovarus as part of a humanitarian mission in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Rigid talipes equinovarus (TEV) is a complex foot deformity in which the foot is fixed in a plantarflexed, inverted, and adducted position. This pathology has the potential to severely limit basic life activities, which can be devastating for patients in developing countries. The objective of this study was to present the outcomes of patients with mature bones presenting with severe rigid TEV deformity who were operated on during a humanitarian mission to Vietnam using a single lateral approach and a simple and inexpensive fixation technique. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. We analyzed the outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for a severe rigid TEV that prevented them from walking minimal distances unaided. All feet were fixed in a non-plantigrade position. The surgeries were conducted as part of two International Extremity Project (IEP) missions in Can Tho, Vietnam (2013 and 2018). Pre- and post-operative AOFAS scores were compared using the paired sample t-test. RESULTS: We operated on 14 feet of 12 patients, 6 (50%) of whom were males, aged 34.42 ± 11.7 (range 12 to 58). Four patients were followed for three months, two patients were followed for 12 months, and eight patients were followed for three years. On the final follow-up visit of each patient, all 14 operated feet were plantigrade with good alignment, and patients reported an improvement in daily activity. After 3 years of follow-up, the mean AOFAS score of eight patients with available data improved by 42.88 ± 3.91 points (95% CI 39.61 to 46.14, P < 0.01). Our patients also reported an improvement in mobility. At the final follow-up examination, no recurrence of the deformity was observed in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Using low-technical surgical modalities, we were able to achieve plantigrade and walkable feet in patients with mature bones who had fixed rigid equinovarus. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV- Case Series.