Congenital Vertical Talus

Excerpt

Congenital vertical talus is characterized by equinus and hindfoot valgus. It is usually associated with multiple deformities of the foot, including abduction at the forefoot and dorsiflexion at the midfoot, primarily due to the fixed dorsal dislocation of the navicular bone over the talar head.

In 1913, the Congenital vertical talus term was first described by Rocher as a foot in piole. It has also been known by a few other terms, such as reversed club foot, congenital valgus flat foot, pied plat valgus congenital, congenital convex pes valgus, and rocker bottom foot. However, now, days Congenital convex pes valgus is most commonly used.

Congenital vertical talus has also been associated with several clinical conditions, including cryptorchidism, microcephaly, and hypoxic birth injury. If this condition is missed or not managed properly may result in significant disability, including the formation of painful callosities around the prominent talar head and severe ankle and foot pain.

Traditionally, surgical management of congenital vertical talus was aggressive, with high chances of complications. Nowadays minimally invasive approach has shown promising results in providing deformity correction and limited soft tissue release.