Two cases of big-toe replantation: A ten-year follow-up

Abstract

It is rare for traumatic amputation of the big toe to occur as a single injury. This trauma is especially significant in children for influencing foot development and for possible psychological impact. Two cases of successful replantation of completely amputated big toes in two girls, 2 years 7 months and 5 years 2 months old, are presented. Follow-up was 10 years. In the younger child, the replanted big toe was 49.2 percent shorter compared to the contralateral side, because growth was limited by the affected growth zone in the proximal phalanx. In the older child, the growth zone of the bone was intact, with consequent bone growth unimpaired, and an initial shortage of 10.4 percent was reduced to 2 percent compared to the contralateral side. Copyright © 2006 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.