Mirror Foot: Surgical Approach for Esthetic and Functional Improvement

Abstract

Mirror foot is a rare congenital anomaly within the spectrum of complex polydactyly of the foot. It can occur alone or with other malformations or genetic syndromes. It is a little described topic in the literature, with few publications on its treatment. We report the case of a 4-year-old female patient who presented eight fingers on her left foot and no other associated deformities. Her complaints included the impossibility of wearing closed shoes and social stigma. Radiography revealed eight metatarsals with their respective phalanges, five cuneiform bones, and the absence of bone deformities in the hindfoot. We opted for a surgical approach aiming at functional and esthetic improvement, in addition to better adaptation to closed shoes, as desired by the patient and her family. We performed a dorsal and plantar "V" incision and resected three supernumerary rays, including three central metatarsals with their nine corresponding phalanges, two cuneiform bones, tendons, and excess digital nerves. Next, we sutured the intermetatarsal ligaments, preserving the fingers with a normal appearance, reducing the width of the foot, and preserving adequate support. Kirschner wires maintained the reduction by transmetatarsal fixation. During the postoperative period, the patient wore a boot splint with zero load with no complications. We removed the Kirschner wires and allowed load on the limb after 12 weeks.

Keywords
congenital foot deformities; bone wires; polydactyly