Doctor Perugia, from the Roman hospital, explains how he changes the treatment of hallux valgus, a widespread disease
In Italy, one in five people suffers from hallux valgus, an increasingly widespread pathology, especially in the female population. To illustrate the very latest frontiers in the treatment of this disease is Doctor and Professor Dario Perugia, Head of UO Foot Surgery at the University Hospital Sant’Andrea in Rome.
How is this pathology treated that in some cases can be really invalidating?
In the initial phases the conservative approach may prove sufficient to attenuate the painful symptomatology and slow down its course. When the symptomatology becomes strongly disabling, it is necessary to intervene surgically. Today there are over 100 interventional techniques: the choice of the most appropriate method is referred to the specialist who, after having carried out an accurate clinical and radiographic evaluation, will use what he considers most appropriate for each individual patient. In other words, “the foot must not adapt to the surgeon’s abilities, but the surgeon must adapt to the degree of deformity of the big toe”.
Percutaneous minimally invasive surgery is the one that offers greater benefits today. Why?
The surgery is performed in day surgery, under local anesthesia and with significantly reduced surgical times compared to open surgery. The correction of the deformity occurs through osteotomies performed without surgical incisions, through small cutaneous holes of a few millimeters. This significantly reduces post-operative pain and allows a faster return to the patient’s daily activities
More Info (dario.perugia@gmail.com)
by Roberta Imbimbo
