Percutaneous Forefoot Surgery Compared to Open Surgery: Is a Dedicated Motor Needed? How Does Open Surgery Compares to Percutaneous Surgery?

The use of percutaneous surgery is currently very common in foot and ankle surgery replacing the open techniques used previously. It is not clear whether use of these technique requires specialized high torque motors or could be safely performed using standard orthopedic motors.

The current study describes the results of 287 patient followed for a period of up to 6 months, to assess the surgery related pain, complicaitons and patient satisfaction. 112 patients operated using an conventional open technique were compared to 118 patients treated using a percutaneous technique with a standard orthopedic motor and 57 patients treated by the MICA dedicated system (Wright Medical).

There is less pain using the percutaneous techniques relative to the open technique during the first 6 post operative weeks. The 6 months FAOS score is similar in all groups. Complications are rare in any of the groups, with a significantly higher ASEPSIS score in the open surgery group.

In conclusion, percutaneous forefoot surgery appears safe and efficacious, whether performed using a dedicated system or standard orthopedic motors with superior clinical results compared to open surgery.