Smart Toe® Implant Versus Buried Kirschner Wire for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Arthrodesis: A Comparative Study

Arthrodesis of thumb interphalangeal and finger distal interphalangeal joints using the intramedullary X-Fuse® implant: Retrospective analysis of 38 cases

“…The fusion rates range between 70 and 94% [13][14][15] and the complication rate between 4 and 20% with few surgical revisions (<5%). The results for finger fusion seem to be fairly similar to those of toe IP fusion.…”

Ideal implant choice for proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis in hammer toe/claw toe deformity correction: A systematic review

“…The postoperative union rate was reported in all studies by using X-rays. Only one study demonstrated similar results between two groups with p > 0.05, 20 while the other four studies indicated that the union rates were significantly lower in the K-wire groups. Obrador et al 16 showed that K-wire fixation resulted in significantly higher nonunion rates compared with the two internal fixation devices; no difference in union rates was found between the two intramedullary implants.…”

“…Scholl et al used the K-wire as a buried intramedullary implant, by cutting the Kwire and just leaving enough exposed wire to be placed in the middle phalanx, being called "buried K-wire technique." 20 The information of novel internal fixation devices used in included studies is outlined in Table 3. A total of four different types of devices were applied, among which Smart Toe was the one used most extensively.…”

Dual-Component Intramedullary Implant Versus Kirschner Wire for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Fusion: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…It is characterized by concomitant flexion of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) and hyperextension of the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) (3,4). Numerous procedures have been described for the correction of the HT deformity, ranging from interphalangeal (IP) arthroplasty with or without tendon transfer and temporary Kirschner wire (K-wire) stabilization to PIPJ fusion using any of a wide range of fixation devices, including a K-wire (5,6) or wires (7), sutures (8), single and multicomponent internal fixation devices (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), PIPJ fusion augmented with a bone graft (16), and combinations of interphalangeal (IP) manipulations with MTPJ relocation and stabilization (17). Regardless of the surgical technique used, the goals of surgery are to correct the deformity (or limit its progression) and alleviate pain.…”