Evans calcaneal osteotomy using an anterior lumbar distractor-inserter.

Although it is a relatively simple procedure for an experienced foot and ankle surgeon, Evans calcaneal opening wedge osteotomy requires 2 separate steps: 1) distraction of the osteotomy, and 2) insertion of a bone graft, and each of these maneuvers can be difficult without the use of appropriate instrumentation. In this report, a simplified method of executing this procedure with an anterior lumbar distractor-inserter is introduced. With the use of this particular instrument, a surgeon can avoid excessive distraction of the osteotomy while positioning a large bone graft in the distracted osteotomy without fracturing the anterior calcaneal fragment. The device also allows the surgeon to fine tune the correction of deformity by controlling the depth of bone graft insertion. The instrument provides all of these benefits without a high learning curve or additional cost to the procedure. Copyright 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.