Comparing the long-term results of treating children with clubfoot

Introduction. The proportion of clubfoot in the structure of the lower limb malformations is about 40% of deformities. There is a lot of treatment options, as well as a lot of variants of result evaluation, that doesn’t allow reliable comparing the effectiveness of various approaches to clubfoot treatment. Purpose. To analyze the long-term results of clubfoot treatment by the classical approach (plastering according to V.Y. Vilensky and surgical treatment according to T.S. Zatsepin), after arthrodeses formation and using the Ponseti method using Midfoot Scale АО, Hindfoot Scale AO and Laaveg-Ponseti International Scales. Materials and Methods. The authors treated 741 children with congenital clubfoot within the period of 1993-2010 in their clinic. They analyzed 329 questionnaires using the above-mentioned scales. Mean follow-up was 8.6 years. Results. The questionnaire analysis allowed evaluating the results of treatment by the Ponseti method as “good” using the all three scales unlike other methods and approaches to treatment which overwhelmingly provided satisfactory and unsatisfactory results. Conclusion. АО and Laaveg-Ponseti International Scales evidence of advantages of the Ponseti method both in the period of immediate and long-term follow-up, so it should be used as the base for treatment of congenital clubfoot.