Comparison of Blade and Needle Tenotomy for Treatment of Residual Equinus in Idiopathic Clubfoot.

Abstract

  Background: Tenotomy for residual equinus is commonly required in the management idiopathic club. The need to reduce complication and cost has made the advancement from mini open to needle tenotomy. This is even more pertinent in low- and middle-income country where clubfoot is more common. The study compared the outcome of needle and blade tenotomy for management of idiopathic club foot. Patients and Methods: it is a prospective randomized study of patient requiring tenotomy for residual equinus from July 2015 to June 2020 at a tertiary Orthopediccenter. Results:A tenotomy rate of 60 percent was noted. It involves thirty-one patients with forty-three feet were include in the study. The mean follow up was 27,1 months.  There was no significant difference in the outcome of equinus correction. Three patients had relapse of deformity, two in the blade group and one in the needle group. All were resolved by further manipulation. Conclusion: Needle tenotomy offers similar outcome to blade tenotomy. It is less expensive and more acceptable to those scared of the surgical blade.