Tendon transfers in traumatic foot

Hahn, Soo Bong; Kim, Seong Soo

Abstract

A clinical review was performed of 11 cases of traumatic foot treated by tendon transfer. Among 11 patients, there were eight males and three females, ranging from four to 36 years of age. The anterior tibial tendon was used in six cases for tendon transfer and among these, split anterior tibial tendon was used in three cases in children. The posterior tibial tenodn was used in two cases and the extensor digitorum longus tendon of the foot was in three cases. In six cases of soft tissue injury where tendon transfer was impossible, microvascular free cutaneous flap transplantation was combined with the tendon transfer. Follow-up results were obtained from 25 months to nine years. Excellent results were obtained in eight cases and satisfactory results in three cases. For the correction of function loss in traumatic foot, tendon transfere were a useful method for the recovery of active motion of the foot. For the restoration of function loss in the traumatic foot, there are several methods of treatment such as tendon transfer, arthrodesis and tenodesis, but for recovery of the active motion of the foot, tendon transer is the only useful method.