Dear Editor, We gratefully acknowledge the letter from Wu et al. commenting on our manuscript titled: "A minimally invasive technique for surgical treatment of hallux valgus: simple, effective, rapid, inexpensive (SERI)" [1]. In fact, we trust that one of the main reasons to report surgical results and technique is to begin a discussion that can further clarify concepts to the scientific community. We welcome the opportunity to reply to Wu et al.'s comments on a point-by-point basis: . We believe that manual stretching of the lateral soft tissues, when performed by skilled surgeons, provides results comparable with surgical release. We acknowledge that not all patients may benefit from this manoeuvre in the same fashion. In most postmenopausal women with mild to moderate hallux valgus, it is easy to achieve soft tissue release using a gentle and progressive manoeuvre of the metatarsophalangeal joint, which after osteotomy and head translation results in repositioning of the metatarsal head over the sesamoids. In younger patients and in those with the lateral sesamoid which is completely dislocated in the intermetatarsal space, a lateral soft tissue release is performed using a percutaneous approach. At the end of surgery, when the metatarsal head is correctly displaced, the sesamoids will appear in the correct position: it is not always necessary to perform open surgery. Therefore, in contrast from what occurs in open procedures, minimally invasive procedures are accompanied by a lateral soft tissue release only in carefully selected cases. Subcapital osteotomies, in particular, despite usually not being associated with lateral soft tissue release, allow repositioning of the metatarsal head and properly repositioning the sesamoids and are associated with good long-term results [3]. 2. A 1-cm-long incision is sufficient to perform the osteotomy with a direct line of visualization; the osteotomy can be directed according to patient requirements and according to pre-operative planning, with the aim of recovering the lateral dislocation of the sesamoids. It also allows cutting the small bone tip at the medial edge of the diaphyseal osteotomy and eventually addressing small osteophytes of the exostoses with a small rongeur. Usually, exostoses are not the expression of newly formed bone, and once the head is corrected, it they disappear. Only rarely is it necessary to remove a small dorsal osteophyte. Finally, we do not cut the bunion on the medial side, as it is structurally part of the sesamoid sling [4]. (a) The SERI osteotomy is subcapital and extra-articular. In this sense, no direct effect on the capsular tissue is expected. (b) The SERI osteotomy is not meant for patients with hallux rigidus, and we agree with Wu et al. that in patients with hallux rigidus, SERI osteotomy should not be performed. We already reported our surgical guidelines for treating hallux rigidus [5] and