First metatarsophalangeal (MTP1) joint arthrodesis, described as a safe and effective procedure, has complications that may require surgical revision. These complications are rarely studied. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and outcomes of revision surgery after MT1 arthrodesis.

The incidence of surgical revision after MTP1 arthrodesis is not insignificant; however, the outcomes are satisfactory.

In this multicenter retrospective study between January 2014 and December 2015, 190 forefoot revisions in patients who had previously undergone MTP1 arthrodesis were included by 8 surgeons. There were no exclusion criteria and all patients had at least 1 year of follow-up. Over the same period, 958 primary MTP1 arthrodesis procedures were performed.

The mean time to revision was 4.6±10.9 years. At a mean follow-up of 20.5±7.4 months, 158 cases were available for analysis in 135 women and 20 men who had a mean age of 67.1±10.5 years. These revision procedures were carried out because of discomfort related to the hardware at the arthrodesis site (n=86, 54%), nonunion (n=22, 14%), malunion (n=13, 8%) metatarsalgia or claw toe (n=18, 11%) and first interphalangeal (IP1) joint disorders (n=13, 8%). The mean postoperative scores were 75±13.9 for the AOFAS and 65±19.6 for the SF36 total. In the nonunion cases, removal of the hardware led to better outcomes than repeating the arthrodesis procedure. Osteotomy in the malunion cases healed successfully. In the cases of IP1 osteoarthritis, secondary arthrodesis or arthroplasty led to good outcomes.

Relative to published results of primary MTP1 arthrodesis, the outcomes in our series of revision MTP1 arthrodesis surgery cases are practically equivalent, thus considered acceptable.

IV, Retrospective study.