Partial foot amputations in children. A comparison of the several types with the Syme amputation.

We compared the results in fourteen children in whom part of the foot was amputated with the results in a similar group of patients who had a Syme amputation. Based on levels of activity, physical examination, prosthetic requirements, ratio of the length of the fore part of the foot to the hind part, and gait mechanics, we classified the children into three groups. In Group I (patients with a metatarsal ray or transmetatarsal amputation) the results were clearly superior to those in the group with Syme amputation. In Group II (patients with a Lisfranc, mid-tarsal, or Chopart amputation and no equinus contracture) the patients had better over-all function but needed to make greater adjustments for gait than did those with a Syme amputation. In Group III (patients with a Chopart amputation who had an equinus contracture and inadequate length of the fore part of the foot) the results were clearly inferior to those of patients with a Syme amputation.