Fixation with Absorbable Suture Material in Akin Osteotomy

Song, Moo Ho; Kim, Bu Hwan; Ahn, Seong Jun; Yoo, Seong Ho; Lee, Doo Jae

Abstract

PURPOSE
The Akin osteotomy which is a closing wedge osteotomy of the proximal phalanx widely used for the correction of hallux valgus has several methods of fixation. we tried to report the effects of the fixation using an absorbable suture material during the Akin osteotomy for the hallux valgus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was based on 448 cases of 346 patients who were able for follow-up more than 12 months among the patients who had an Akin osteotomy together with the surgery of hallux valgus between March of 2006 and May of 2010. Absorbable suture material had been used in all cases. Radiologically displacement and union of osteotomy site were observed after the surgery, and clinically postoperative complication such as skin irritation, pain and satisfaction were investigated.
RESULTS
Radiologically all cases had showed complete union and no case had the loss of an correction due to loss of fixation. Also, any case had no skin irritation due to a knot. Three cases had a medial cortical breakage due to a strong knot, and the initial one case among them had additionally fixed the osteotomy site for four weeks using K-wire, and the remaining two cases had fixed a suture on an articular surface without any fixation of an additional wire. If a medial cortical bone was lost by carrying out an ostectomy due to proximal protrusion of proximal phalanx, three cases could show union through the fixation of suture on an articular surface.
CONCLUSION
This study considers that the fixation of the osteotomy site using an absorbable suture material in an Akin osteotomy was effective method and the advantage of this procedure was unnecessity of the material removal and no skin irritation.