Axial Loading Cross Screw Fixation for the Austin Bunionectomy

The Austin procedure has become a common method of osteotomy for the correction of hallux abductovalgus when indicated. The V-type configuration is intrinsically stable but not without complications. One complication encountered is rotation and/or displacement of the capital fragment. We present the use of an axial loading screw in conjunction with a dorsally placed compression screw. The benefit to this technique lies in the orientation of the axial loading screw, because it is directed to resist the ground reactive forces while also providing a second point of fixation in a crossing screw design. In a head-to-head biomechanical comparison, we tested single dorsal screw fixation versus double screw fixation, including both the dorsal and the axial loading screws in 10 metatarsal Sawbones® (Pacific Research Laboratories Inc, Vashon, WA). Five metatarsals received single dorsal screw fixation and five received the dorsal screw and the additional axial loading screw. The metatarsals were analyzed on an Instron compression device for comparison; 100% of the single screw fixation osteotomies failed with compression at an average peak load of 205 N. Four of five axial loading double screw fixation osteotomies did not fail. This finding suggests that the addition of an axial loading screw providing cross screw orientation significantly increases the stability of the Austin osteotomy, ultimately decreasing the likelihood of displacement encountered in the surgical repair of hallux abductovalgus.