Surgeons Experience and Consistency to Determine Surgical Procedures for Hallux Valgus

INTRODUCTION: There are various surgical techniques introduced for the treatment of hallux valgus deformity, however there is still considerable debate about the most appropriate one. This study analyses the consistency of interpretation of the deformity and data leading to a specific treatment indication among orthopaedic surgeons with different experience in the field.
METHODS: Nine surgeons were divided into three groups according to their surgical experience,namely; group I, with over 10 years of experience; group II with 5–10 years of experience and group III with less than 5 years of experience. 50 feet with hallux valgus deformity were analysed twice in one month of time interval based on routine physical examination and angle measurements, and also some other parameters including joint congruence, evidence of arthrosis, prominence of bunion and grading of sesamoid.
RESULTS: Eventually more experienced surgeons paid less attention to measurements; however, their consistency for the surgical decision was higher. Conversely, less experienced surgeons paid more attention to the measured values however their consistency and matching rates for surgical decision were lower.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: For more experienced surgeons, the measurable values were of less importance. Less experienced surgeons paid more attention to radiological parameters and their measurements were more consistent, however their uniformity in surgical decisions was lower compared to more experienced surgeons.