Purpose
The aim of this article is to describe the normal arthroscopic anatomy of the lesser
metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints and compare it with that seen in open dissection
in cadaveric models.
Methods
We performed arthroscopic examination of 18 MTP joints of 6 normal fresh frozen feet.
The second, third, and fourth MTP joints were studied because of the higher incidence
of pathologic conditions found in these joints. During arthroscopy, each anatomic
structure identified was named and marked with different colored sutures using straight
suture needles. After the arthroscopic procedure of identification and marking, each
MTP joint was dissected, and all the anatomic structures were grossly identified.
With these data, the correlation between the arthroscopic and the direct visualization
of a normal MTP joint was established.
Results
Considering the joint regions, we found that the examination accuracy of the medial
gutter was 91%, whereas the central joint accuracy reached 100% and the accuracy of
the lateral gutter was 98%. The overall arthroscopic accuracy for the lesser MTP joints
was 96%.
Conclusions
There is a high level of anatomic accuracy at the lesser MTP joint with arthroscopy.
Clinical Relevance
The high overall level of anatomic accuracy of lesser MTP joint arthroscopy (96%)
allows us to consider this resource as a valuable tool in the diagnosis and treatment
of these joints, expanding the spectrum of indications using this method.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 13, 2014
Accepted:
March 20,
2014
Received:
August 27,
2013
Footnotes
The authors report the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding in relation to this article: C.N. and M.J.C. receive support from Arthrex.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
