BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to clarify the morphological patterns of the calcaneus and talus that are associated with hallux valgus angle (HVA) by quantifying the differences in the hindfoot bone morphology between left and right sides in HV patients with clear bilateral difference of HVA.

METHODS

Three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography scans of 32 feet of 16 patients with HV who had right-to-left HVA differences of more than 5 degrees (68.8 ± 8.6 years) were enrolled, and 3D surface models of the calcaneus and talus were generated. A total of 556 and 430 landmarks were placed on the calcaneal and talar surfaces, respectively, to calculate the principal components (PCs) of shape variations. The PC scores were compared between the small and large HVA sides within an individual.

RESULTS

The calcaneus in patients with a larger HVA (mean, 43.2 degrees) possessed slender calcaneal tuberosity, more medially oriented posterior articular surface in the coronal plane, and narrower and more concave anterior-middle articular surfaces compared to those with a small HVA (mean, 33.7 degrees). The talus with a larger HVA exhibited more medially oriented talar head in the transverse plane and more anteriorly protruded lateral region of the talar head compared to the small HVA.

CONCLUSIONS

The morphological patterns of the calcaneus in patients with a larger HVA allows the hindfoot bones to easily rotate in the everting direction, while those of the talus could induce a larger internal rotation of the first metatarsal. These morphological patterns of the calcaneus and talus could be structural factors affecting the HV.