Abstract
Background: Hallux rigidus (HR) affects the first metatarsophalangeal joint and is the most common osteoarthritic condition in the foot. The most used surgical treatment for severe cases of HR is an arthrodesis. The aim of this study is to describe patient characteristics, surgical treatment and the patient-reported outcomes for patients treated with arthrodesis for HR using data from Swefoot, the Swedish quality register for foot and ankle surgery.
Methods: From Swefoot we extracted data on patients who underwent surgery for HR between January 2014 and December 2019. We included 419 patients with end-stage HR, who had not previously been treated surgically for HR on the same side.
The outcome was measured with the Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score (SEFAS) (summary score 0-48) and EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ5D) (index 0-1) together with questions regarding appearance, shoe wear and satisfaction. We extracted surgical and patient-reported data preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively.
Results: Our patient-population is predominantly female, around 61 years old, and
slightly overweight. The arthrodeses are most often fixated with screws and most of the patients are allowed to bear weight immediately after surgery. The mean SEFAS score is 22 preoperatively and 38 postoperatively, the corresponding values for EQ5D index are 0.56 and 0.81 which means that the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) improves significantly after surgery.
Conclusion: Patients with severe HR treated with an arthrodesis have reduced pain, improved function and HrQoL according to the patient-reported outcome measures SEFAS and EQ5D. The mean postoperative SEFAS value was close to the mean SEFAS value of the Swedish general population in the same age category. Fixation techniques and postoperative regimen differ among surgeons in the country. This is the first report from Swefoot regarding this patient population.