Is intraoperative pedography helpful in clinical use—Preliminary results of 100 cases from a consecutive, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the clinical use, and to analyze the potential clinical benefit of intraoperative pedography (IP) in a sufficient number of cases in comparison with cases treated without IP.MethodsPatients (age 18 years and older) which sustained an arthrodesis and/or correction of the foot and ankle were included.ResultsOne hundred cases were included (ankle correction arthrodesis, n = 12; subtalar joint correction arthrodesis, n = 14; arthrodesis without correction midfoot, n = 15; correction arthrodesis midfoot, n = 26; correction forefoot, n = 33). Fifty-two patients were randomized for the use of IP. In 24 of the 52 patients (46%), the correction was modified after IP during the same operation.ConclusionsIn 46% of the cases a modification of the surgical correction was made after IP in the same surgical procedure. Whether IP improve the plantar force distribution of the foot and the mid- or long-term clinical outcome has to be critically analyzed when longer follow-up is completed.