Use of Ankle Dorsiflexion and the Dimeglio and Pirani Scores in Predicting Relapse of Clubfoot Treated With the Ponseti Method

Application of pedobarographic analysis in neglected congenital clubfoot patients following Ponseti treatment for recurrence prediction

“…Previous studies on treatment efficacy often relied on clinical function scales and physical examinations [ 14 ]. These methods have certain limitations: they are subjective, and some residual deformities may go unnoticed by the naked eye.…”

“…An a priori power analysis (α = 0.05, β = 0.20) was conducted using GPower 3.0© software to determine the sample size. Based on an unpublished pilot study and a review of previous research [ [13] , [14] , [15] ], a sample size of 25 was initially estimated. Accounting for a potential dropout rate of 15%, a minimum of 30 participants needs to be included in the present study.…”

“…The clinical and functional indicators in this study included: age of patients at initial treatment, Dimeglio scores [ 14 ] before treatment and at each follow-up, the number of casts needed for correction, and the degree of ankle dorsiflexion at the time of the pedobarographic test. Dimeglio scoring and clinical assessments were conducted by the study author (C.X.)…”

“…The treatment outcomes for NCCF have traditionally been assessed primarily through clinical and functional examinations, employing scales and questionnaires [ 13 , 14 ] such as Pirani and Dimeglio scores. However, these methods pose challenges in achieving accurate and quantitative evaluation and are susceptible to subjective influences from examiners.…”