Hemi-implants in foot surgery.

Hemi-implants, when first marketed, seemed the answer for a shortened nonfunctional hallux that sometimes followed a Keller bunionectomy. Then a few years later, with the use of the total implant, the hemi- plant was all but forgotten. It is the author's opinion that there are still many situations in which the hemi-implant has advantages over a Keller bunionectomy or total implant.