Purpose We aimed to identify the long-term rate of relapse of deformity in a cohort of children with talipes equinovarus and to correlate it with pre-operative grading. Methods Between 1988 and 1995, 120 club feet in 86 patients were surgically treated. A review at an average follow-up of 11.5 years (range 9-16 years) was performed. Of 59 of the children, 69 feet were assessed clinically and data for the remaining 20 children (30 feet) were obtained from the records. The patients were assessed using the method of Bensahel and Dimeglio but radiological analysis was omitted. Functional and morphological evaluation was recorded. Results Initial grades were grade 2 in 26 feet (26%), grade 3 in 48 feet (49%) and grade 4 in 25 feet (25%). Relapse occurred in one case in grade 2 (3.8%), 13 feet in grade 3 (27%) and in 19 in grade 4 (76%). Since an initial review in 1997, a further 12.5% of grade 3 and 25% of grade 4 feet have relapsed. Overall function did not correlate with severity of deformity. Conclusion Relapse continues to occur after surgery during the first decade. There is a high rate of relapse (76%) in grade 4 feet.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.