Freiberg's infraction: A modified closing wedge osteotomy for an undiagnosed case

The use of abaloparatide to treat nonunion following dorsal closing wedge osteotomy for Freiberg's disease: A case report

A middle-aged woman who was previously a long-distance trail runner presented with chronic right forefoot pain and was diagnosed with Freiberg's disease. She suffered from nonunion after undergoing a dorsal closing wedge osteotomy. The nonunion achieved full osseous union after treatment with abaloparatide. Patient reported outcome measures taken at 19 months postoperatively indicated good to excellent clinical outcomes and satisfaction. The aim of this case is to report on the effectiveness of abaloparatide to treat nonunion and support fracture healing.

Imaging in metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia is a common clinical conundrum that requires careful assessment. There are a variety of causes and understanding these can help manage the pain. These causes have different imaging characteristics and require specific imaging. By understanding core imaging principles and how they apply to causes of metatarsalgia, pathology can be more efficiently investigated. This article covers primary, secondary and iatrogenic causes of metatarsalgia with the most appropriate imaging modalities for each and the salient imaging findings. This article reviews the common forefoot pathologies and how they may be optimally radiologically investigated, with an emphasis on the key imaging findings.

Surgical interventions of Freiberg's disease: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Freiberg's disease is an osteonecrosis of the metatarsal head bone. Numerous surgical interventions can be provided; however, the literature is limited in systematic reviews discussing the various options. The study aimed to systematically review the quantity and quality of literatures exploring the surgical interventions.

METHODS

Fifty articles were found to be relevant for assessing the efficacy of common surgical interventions. The articles were assigned a level of evidence (I-V) to assess their quality. Next, the studies were reviewed to provide a grade of recommendation (A-C, I).

RESULTS

Two studies were found at level III that explored osteotomy and autologous transplantation; the other studies were level IV-V. There is poor evidence (grade C) in supporting of joint sparing and joint sacrificing for Freiberg's disease.

CONCLUSION

Poor evidence exists to support the surgical interventions for Freiberg's disease, higher quality trials are needed to support the increasing application of these surgical techniques.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, Systematic review.

Conservative treatment of Freiberg's infraction using foot orthoses: A tale of two prescriptions presented as a case study to open debate

'Freiberg's infraction or disease' is an osteonecrotic process primarily affecting the 2^nd & 3^rd metatarsal heads. Early diagnosis is difficult, and the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Surgical options for late disease have been widely reported in the literature, yet details on conservative management for the early stages of Freiberg's are largely absent. Pathology should be treated where possible using an evidence-based approach, yet evidence for conservative management in acute stages of Freiberg's is lacking. A case study is presented that outlines two different prescription interventions using foot orthoses; one that attempted to 'offload' the metatarsal head by creating space beneath it; and one that attempted to 'offloaded' by increasing controlled loading of the metatarsals proximal to the head. These resulted in very different outcomes for the patient. The authors will attempt to give a 'pathomechanical rationale' for the treatment outcomes based on mechanical stress principles, and a consequential explanation as to why one type of insole prescription seemed more successful in reducing symptoms and raising activity levels, while another was not.

[Comparison between dorsiflexion osteotomy and implant arthroplasty for advanced Freiberg disease]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the dorsiflexion osteotomy (DO) and implant arthroplasty (IA) in terms of clinical and radiographic outcomes for patients with advaced Freiberg disease.

METHODS

A clinical data of 25 cases of Freiberg disease, who were admitted between July 2012 and July 2016 and met selection criteria, was retrospectively reviewed. According to the Smillie classification, all patients were classified as stage Ⅳ-Ⅴ. Among them, 13 cases were treated with DO (DO group) and 12 cases were treated with IA (IA group). No significant difference was found between the two groups in gender, age, side of the affected metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, location, Smillie classification, disease duration, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, range of motion of the affected MTP joints, and the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score ( P>0.05). Total costs for index admissions were compared between the two groups. Clinical outcomes were evaluated in accordance with the VAS score, AOFAS score, and the range of motion of the affected MTP joints.

RESULTS

All incisions of the two groups healed by first intention. The follow-up time was 12-30 months (mean, 17 months) in DO group and 12-24 months (mean, 16 months) in IA group. The total cost of index admission was significantly higher in IA group than that n DO group ( t=2.742, P=0.011). The AOFAS scores, VAS scores, and range of dorsiflexion and plantar flexion at last follow-up were significantly improved when compared with preoperative value in the two groups ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in all indexes between the two groups ( P>0.05). X-ray film examination showed that the osteotomy healed within 8-12 weeks (mean, 9.5 weeks) after operation in DO group. None of the patients experienced internal fixator and implant related complications postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

DO and IA can provide significant improvement in pain and motion of the MTP joints for advanced Freiberg disease. But the DO may be the more economical method.