Static Ring Fixation for Nonplantigrade Charcot Midfoot Deformity

It is now appreciated by the orthopedic foot and ankle community that Charcot foot arthropathy imparts a severe negative impact on health-related quality of life. These effects are not reversed with conventional methods of accommodative treatment. Surgical correction may allow patients a less encumbered ambulation. Traditional methods of internal fixation are not applicable in many of the patients because of morbid obesity, open wounds with osteomyelitis, poor bone quality, and an impaired immune status. The static application of the Illizarov method allows correction of the deformity through a small surgical incision with limited soft-tissue stripping, and maintenance of that correction with a preassembled, 3-level, static circular external fixator.