HALLUX RIGIDUS: PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF JOINT REPLACEMENT WITH HEMIARTHROPLASTY

Objective: To report the results of medium-term follow-up after deploying Arthrosurface-HemiCap (R) in patients with diagnosis of Hallux Rigidus (HR). Method: Eleven patients underwent partial Arthroplasty of the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Six women and five men with an average age 51.9 years (46 to 58 years) and average postoperative follow-up of 3.73 years (3-4 years); were classified through the Kravitz system and evaluated by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scales for hallux, Visual Analogical Scale (VAS) - analog functional pain - and range of motion in the first metatarsal joint in preoperative, postoperative after six months and present post-operative. Results: The results show significant improvement of the three analyzed parameters, both for overall analysis and for pre and post-operative comparisons individually. The comparative analysis of each variable in the six months and the current postoperative periods do not show statistically significant differences, indicating maintenance of parameters during this interval. Conclusion: hemiarthroplasty of first metatarsophalangeal joint is a reproducible and safe option for the surgical treatment of hallux rigidus II and III, with significant improvement of the evaluated parameters for the studied population.