Clinical usage and influence of radiographs in the assessment of hallux valgus.

It has been assumed that radiographs are consistently used in the preoperative evaluation of hallux valgus; however, little information is available to support this assumption. To investigate the frequency of use and clinical utility of radiographs in the assessment of hallux valgus, an online survey was completed by 28 podiatrists in UK departments of podiatric surgery. Radiographs were used in the assessment of hallux valgus in all departments. Of the 28 podiatrists, 61% viewed digital radiographs only, 7% film only, and 32%, a combination of both. Also, 71% routinely took measurements from the radiographs to inform procedure selection. Of those taking measurements, the first intermetatarsal angle was the only measurement used by all participants, followed by the sesamoid position, used by 90%. For those taking measurements, the measurements influenced procedure selection for most cases before surgery, with the procedure site within the first metatarsal moving more proximally as the first metatarsal angle increased.