Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42621232›Full record

ArticleFoot & ankle orthopaedics2026

Does Conventional Radiography Overrepresent Joint Space Narrowing in Hallux Rigidus? A Comparative Study With Weightbearing CT Imaging.

Ahmed Saleh, Vineel Mallavarapu, Nacime Salomao Barbachan Mansur, Aly M Fayed, Cesar de Cesar Netto

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Foot & ankle orthopaedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ahmed SalehDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3431-8140
Vineel MallavarapuDepartment of Orthopedics, Loyola Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8612-5941
Nacime Salomao Barbachan MansurDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1067-727X
Aly M FayedDepartment of Orthopedic and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3905-9662
Cesar de Cesar NettoDivision of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6037-0685

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Conventional weightbearing radiographs are the gold standard for grading hallux rigidus (HR), yet clinical symptoms often do not correlate with radiographic severity. This study compared 2-dimensional (2D) weightbearing radiographs with weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT) to evaluate if traditional imaging overrepresents joint degeneration. Methods: A retrospective study of 21 patients (13 males; average age 55.9 years) with HR was conducted. All patients had both weightbearing radiographs and WBCT. Two fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons measured the first metatarsophalangeal joint (first MTPJ) space, dorsal osteophyte height, and dorsal narrowing percentage. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: Joint space width was significantly larger on WBCT (1.9 ± 0.44 mm) compared to radiographs (0.92 ± 0.53 mm; Conclusion: WBCT demonstrated consistently larger joint-space measurements and less dorsal joint-space narrowing compared with conventional radiographs, along with substantially higher inter-rater reliability for joint space narrowing. These findings indicate a systematic measurement difference between modalities, with radiographs tending to overrepresent joint-space loss. This discrepancy may help explain why joint-preserving procedures such as cheilectomy can succeed even when radiographs appear advanced. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.

Indexed as

cheilectomyCoughlin classificationhallux limitushallux rigidusWBCTweightbearing CT

Identifiers

PMID42621232
PMCPMC13487101

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