Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41284098›Full record

Trial reportArchives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery2025

Correction of lesser toe deformities: minimally invasive versus open surgery-a prospective randomised study.

Benjamin Weigang, Angelina Garkisch, Angela Simon, Thomas Mittlmeier

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. [Minimally invasive lesser toe surgery].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Benjamin WeigangDiakonie Klinikum Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Malchin, Malchin, Germany. ben.weigang@googlemail.com.
Angelina GarkischUniversitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Angela SimonDiakonie Klinikum Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Malchin, Malchin, Germany.
Thomas MittlmeierUniversitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo compare soft and hard outcome measures after minimally invasive (MIS) and open (OS) surgical treatment of lesser toe deformities. It was hypothesised that MIS would be associated with fewer complications and comparable subjective and objective results.

methodsA prospective randomised controlled study was designed. One hundred patients were included consecutively and allotted via block randomisation to two groups. The presence of co-pathologies at the forefoot and midfoot, which were treated simultaneously, was not an exclusion criterion. However, these cases were analysed to ensure an equal distribution across the study groups. Patients were evaluated clinically, functionally, and radiologically prior to surgery and at a 1.5-year follow-up. Additionally, they were asked about their personal satisfaction via patient-reported outcome measures.

resultsThe distribution of co-pathologies at the foot was not significantly different between the two study groups. The same is true of co-morbidities. Significantly more wound complications, including infections, were found in the open surgery group (p = 0.029). K-wire issues were distributed equally between the groups, but differed in their clinical manifestation (p = 0.03). Only seven out of the 95 patients finally examined were dissatisfied with their long-term results, with an equal distribution between both groups (four MIS vs. three OS, p = 0.914). Clinical and radiological corrections of the lesser toes were comparable in both groups, but the open surgery (OS) group showed significantly more non-unions (p = 0.0013). Functional evaluation via the FFI-D (Foot Function Index Germany), a reliable, validated, internationally used, standardised questionnaire to assess the correlation between foot deformity and function, demonstrated relevant postoperative improvement in all patients, with no difference between the two technical approaches (p = 0.460).

conclusionLesser toe surgery is a low-risk treatment with good overall results. MIS offers equivalent clinical outcomes to OS with a lower risk of complications in terms of soft tissue and bone healing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1 Prospective randomised controlled study. TRN DKRS00034137 25/04/2024.

Indexed as

Minimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresOrthopedic ProceduresToesAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient SatisfactionPostoperative ComplicationsProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeClaw toeHammertoeLesser toe deformitiesMinimally invasive surgeryOpen surgeryOutcomeSafety

Identifiers

PMID41284098
PMCPMC12644138

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.