Osteomyelitis Secondary to Ponseti Method for the Treatment of Clubfoot Associated with Meningomyelocele

Abstract

Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), otherwise known as clubfoot (CF), is a common congenital abnormality of the foot, stemming in most cases from an idiopathic cause or in the remaining non-idiopathic occurrences, from meningomyelocele (MMC). Ponseti method (PM), being a gold standard treatment for the correction of this foot deformity, requires a series of regular casting usually accompanied by percutaneous tenotomy of the Achilles tendon and later maintained via abduction braces. Osteomyelitis (OM), as a complication of PM, is rarely reported especially in cases of CF-associated with MMC in which majority of the patients present with varying level of sensory deficit in the lower limbs. Therefore, the absence of pain due to neuropathy leads to a delayed diagnosis of cellulitis and chronic abscesses. We present a case of an eight-year-old male child with exogenous OM as a complication of PM affecting the tarsal bones of his right foot. After an established diagnosis using laboratory results and imaging modalities, the patient was successfully treated with broad spectrum antibiotics achieving full resolution of his clinical symptoms. We report this case due to its rarity.