Digital Arthrodesis With a One-Piece Memory Nitinol Intramedullary Fixation Device

Abstract

A 1-piece memory Nitinol intramedullary fixation device (Smart Toe; Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI) was used for proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis for correction of painful hammertoes in digits 2, 3, and 4. Sixty-five implants were placed in 35 patients. The mean age of our patients was 62.2 years (range = 27-82; standard deviation = 12.5). Mean follow-up time was 27 months (range = 12-40 months; standard deviation = 7). Overall, a 93.8% fusion rate was noted. Complications were noted in 4 patients (6.1%): 1 asymptomatic nonunion (1.5%), 2 hardware failures (3%), and 1 implant displacement (1.5%). To date, no patients required revisional surgery or hardware removal. Level of Evidence: V