Surgical outcomes of untreated congenital polysyndactyly of the foot in adult patients

Abstract

Purpose: Polydactyly of the foot is a common congenital anomaly. The goal of surgery for polydactyly is to increase similarity to the contralateral foot, with a well-aligned arcade of toes that allows patients to wear normal footwear and ambulate painlessly. Foot appearance is especially important in Asian countries where people remove their shoes indoors. This study reviewed the surgical results in patients who underwent surgery for correction of untreated foot polydactyly after the age of 18 years. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 11 patients who underwent surgery between 2006 and 2019. The forefoot width, angulation difference, and toe length ratios between the affected and unaffected feet were compared before and after the operation. In addition, the purpose of the surgery and postoperative cosmetic satisfaction were collected for each patient.Results: The median age at the time of the operation was 25 years (interquartile range, 22–32 years) and most patients presented with postaxial polydactyly. The primary reasons to undergo surgery were both functional and cosmetic. The forefoot width and angle difference ratios became significantly more similar to the contralateral side postoperatively (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in the toe length ratio. Postoperative Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale scores showed satisfactory results. Conclusion: The main reasons for surgery in adulthood included the diverse consequences of functional and cosmetic aspects of the anomaly. Surgery for patients with untreated polydactyly of the foot can yield satisfactory objective and subjective results regardless of the intervention timing.