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Extensive hypertrophic scarring of the halluces secondary to chronic onychocryptosis is a rare condition, which causes significant physical and psychosocial effects. In this case, a 31-year-old male developed large lesions on both great toes after he delayed treatment of chronic hallucal onychocryptosis for over a decade. Current treatment options for hypertrophic and keloid lesions in the foot and ankle vary considerably and differentiation is critical for appropriate treatment planning. In this case, surgical excision with total matrixectomy (modified Zadik-Syme) was considered optimal management. Histopathology testing confirmed the diagnosis of irritated hypertrophic scar secondary to onychocryptosis. The patient was monitored closely and at 3 months post-operatively, the incisional scars exhibited progressive maturation, and there was no recurrence of the lesions and no nail regrowth. Furthermore, the halluces were only marginally shorter providing good function and cosmesis. At the long-term follow-up consultation (5.5 years), the patient indicated complete satisfaction and had returned to regular footwear and social activities. Chronic onychocryptosis can trigger and facilitate proliferation of large benign keloid-like fibrous lesions; excision with total matrixectomy can provide an excellent long-term outcome.

Angioleiomyomas are uncommon benign tumours of smooth muscle that usually occur in the extremities. They are difficult to diagnose preoperatively as their clinical and radiological presentation is ambiguous and inconclusive. A degree of suspicion should be maintained in patients who present with slow growing soft tissue tumours of the extremities. A 59-year-old female was referred to our clinic reporting a 12-month history of an asymptomatic, progressively enlarging soft-tissue mass within the plantar aspect of the primary intermetatarsal space of the left forefoot. Her preoperative diagnostic ultrasound suspected a neuroma-bursa complex arising from the deep peroneal nerve. Excision and histopathology confirmed a diagnosis of angioleiomyoma.

Hallux rigidus (HR) is a painful condition involving osteoarthrosis and reduced range of motion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ). It is associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. We report a case of a 42-year-old female who had been referred to our surgical clinic regarding the progressively worsening chronic pain, stiffness and long-term shoe-fitting difficulties associated with her right HR pathology. Her vocational duties within the fashion industry necessitated the use of high heeled court-style shoes, and thus she maintained a preference for a procedure that would facilitate normal joint range of motion so that she could continue to wear this type of footwear. We performed a variation to a traditional cheilectomy procedure involving radical remodelling of the first metatarsal head to allow for up to 90 degrees of intraoperative dorsiflexion. The patient reported reduced pain and increased function up until her discharge at 12 weeks postoperatively. A radical cheilectomy may provide acceptable pain relief and improved joint function in patients with end-stage HR who decline the option of arthrodesis.