Osteotomy guide
Hammertoe and claw toe conditions of the four lesser toes (all but the big toe) may cause pain in the forefoot and require surgical removal, or "shortening," of portions of your metatarsal bone. The current standard of care is a procedure called a Weil Osteotomy. It is a freehand approach that involves a single cut to the metatarsal bone and sliding the metatarsal head backwards and downward, to relocate the bone and relieve pain. One primary drawback of the Weil Osteotomy is that it also relocates the center of rotation, or movement, of your toe. This rotation point, or biomechanical axis, is critical to give you full range of motion of your toes.
Traditional osteotomies have several possible complications:
- Reduced range of motion in toes
- Pain, stiffness, and swelling
- Floating toe, a condition where your lesser toe rises rather than straightens
- The HAT-TRICK◊ Osteotomy Guide helps your surgeon perform osteotomies in a precise, controlled fashion, using precision tools to ensure accurate cuts that maintain the proper biomechanical axis and movement of your toe.
Advanced techniques
The HAT-TRICK Osteotomy Guide is a surgical tool that accurately positions the surgeon's cuts to remove a precise segment of bone from your metatarsal bone. Traditional osteotomies cut an angled piece of bone backwards and off-center. The HAT-TRICK Osteotomy Guide removes a thin slice of bone, relocates the bone head directly backwards, and preserves the biomechanical axis.
The HAT-TRICK Osteotomy Guide and technique are designed to minimize occurrence of floating toe and associated complications of traditional freehand osteotomies.
For more information about the HAT-TRICK Osteotomy Guide, please contact your surgeon.
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