Long-term retrospective evaluation of 220 patients submitted to surgical removal of interdigital neuroma

Abstract

Objective: To retrospectively evaluate the objective findings and the subjective results of 220 patients who underwent surgery for the excision of interdigital neuroma and compare these data to the orthopaedical literature. Methods: Between January 2000 to June 2011, 351 patients were submitted to total neurectomy by dorsal approach. All the anatomical pieces were gathered for anatomopathological study. The 220 selected patients answered two questionnaires: one about pain, formulated by the World Health Organization, and another about the aspect of the surgical scar. The neuroma recurrence was confirmed when, after 6 months of surgical treatment, the patients presented unaltered physical examination and persistence of the symptoms in the operated intermetatarsian space. Results: The mean age of the 220 patients (194 female) was 53.4 years old at the day of the surgery; 93.2 months was the average follow-up time. From the 260 resected neuromas, 208 (80%) were in the third interdigital space, and 52 (20%) in the second one. All the histopathological examinations confirmed to be neuroma. Conclusion: The total neurectomy by dorsal approach is efficient, without complications in the surgical wound. If it is performed as unique procedure, its results are satisfactory.