Four years follow up in congenital talipes equino varus patients managed with Ponseti method

INTRODUCTION Congenital talipes equino varus (club foot) is a frequent congenital deformity of the foot. The Ponseti method is the gold standard for treatment. It consists of foot manipulation with weekly serial cast, minimally invasive surgery and Dennis-Brown bar up to five years. OBJECTIVE To describe the follow-up of patients with PEVAC treated using the Ponseti method. MATERIAL AND METHODS Descriptive, longitudinal study, during 2013-2019, in patients with PEVAC managed with Ponseti method. We included patients with uni- or bilateral club foot, under two years of age, without prior surgery, whose parents signed informed consent. Patients with other malformations were excluded. Serial weekly cast was placed for 4-8 weeks, a tenotomy of the Achilles tendon was performed, and cast for three more weeks; then reverse footwear with Dennis-Brown bar. The revisions were recorded at day zero, at eight weeks and every three months up to five years of age. Correction of deformity and pain on walking was assessed. RESULTS There were 22 patients; 17 (77.3%) corrected more than 90% of the deformity, with adequate functionality and 86.3% without pain on gait, mean follow-up 3.9 years (1-7 years); six patients relapsed (27.27%) due to poor attachment, one re-treated with cast, and five with anterior tibial transfer, all successfully. CONCLUSIONS The club foot managed with Ponseti method corrects more than 90% of the deformity and without or minimal pain with good adherence to treatment. We had a 27.27% recurrence in our series.