Early Outcomes Following Dorsal Denervation of the Midfoot for Management of Arthritic Pain

Abstract

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Debilitating midfoot arthritic pain is reported to affect up to 12% of adults over 50 years. After failure of nonoperative management, midfoot arthrodesis has been favored as the primary operative treatment producing acceptable outcomes with associated potentially long postoperative immobilization and 17% major complications rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pain and functional outcomes of dorsal midfoot surgical denervation by deep peroneal neurectomy as a safe alternative for management of dorsal midfoot pain. Methods: In this retrospective study, 18 patients (21 feet) who underwent dorsal denervation of the midfoot by deep peroneal neurectomy by a single surgeon were evaluated. There were 13 women and 5 men with mean age 70.4 (range, 47 to 88) at the time of surgery. Indications for the procedure include painful midfoot arthritis, lack of radiographic collapse, intact plantar protective sensation, failed nonoperative management for 6 months, and greater than 75% transient pain relief from preoperative diagnostic block of deep peroneal nerve. Preoperative and postoperative (3 months, 6 months) Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short- Form 36 (SF-36), and Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) were reviewed. Complications were recorded. Results: The mean VAS score improved from 7.4 +/-1.9 to 1.9 +/-1.9 at 3 months and 1.4 +/-1.9 at 6 months (p<0.001). Six patients reported being pain free (VAS=0) at 3 months. All subscales of FAOS showed significant improvement at both 3 and 6 months (Table 1). The mean SF-36 total score improved from 51.4 +/-17.9 to 72.5 +/-7.6 and 74.5 +/-7.5 at 3 and 6 months respectively (p<0.001). Available radiographs at 6 months showed no further collapse. Complications include one patient with delayed wound healing and another patient with inadequate pain relief. No patients reported symptomatic paresthesia. Conclusion: Deep peroneal neurectomy for dorsal midfoot denervation is a safe and effective alternative to arthrodesis for management of dorsal arthritic midfoot pain showing significant improvements in both pain and functional outcomes at early follow up. Our study demonstrated clinical and function outcomes similar to those previously reported for arthrodesis yet with the advantages of earlier postoperative weightbearing and lower complication rate.