An irreducible dislocation of the great toe. Report of two cases and review of the literature.

Irreducible dislocation of an interphalangeal (IP) joint of the great toe is a rare condition. Twenty-two cases including the present two cases are reported in available literature. Two different types are identifiable. In one type, where the ruptured volar plate is displaced into the joint space between two phalanges, the toe is slightly elongated, but the deformity of the toe is not so marked. In the other type, where the volar plate is completely displaced over the proximal phalangeal neck, the deformity of the toe is extreme as the IP joint is locked in hyperextension. In the former type, the dislocation is often misinterpreted to have been repositioned manually because of relatively slight deformity. In either type of dislocation, the volar plate is detached from both the distal and proximal phalanges, and so displaced into the joint, as to form a barrier to manual repositioning. Open reduction is mandatory.