title: The effect of medial and lateral calcaneal osteotomies on the tarsal tunnel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As an entrapment phenomenon, tarsal tunnel syndrome has been described after calcaneal osteotomy, and since the tibial nerve has also been shown to be very sensitive to ankle position, position of the calcaneus after osteotomy and displacement was thought to likely influence the environment of the tibial nerve within the tarsal canal. The respective volume of the tarsal canal was therefore hypothesized to decrease with medial or lateral displacement osteotomies of the calcaneus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anterior and posterior calcaneal osteotomies were made in cadaveric matched pairs and brought through sequential medial and lateral displacements. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to estimate the comparative resultant volume of the tarsal canal after each of these new positions were assumed, as compared with baseline. The proximity of the osteotomy cut to the nerve's location was also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tarsal tunnel volume was calculated for all 5 displacement states and were as follows: far-lateral (9506 mm(3)), near-lateral (10 073 mm(3)), normal (11 839 mm(3)), near-medial (11 489 mm(3)), and far-medial (11 760 mm(3)). No significant difference in tarsal tunnel volume was identified between the normal, nondisplaced specimens in the anterior or posterior groups (11 954 mm(3) vs 11 809 mm(3)). No difference in tarsal tunnel volume was identified between the anterior and posterior osteotomies at any of the 4 displacements. The distance from tibial nerve to the medial exit site of the osteotomy was found to be significantly less in the anterior group compared to the posterior group (4 mm vs 14.2 mm, P < .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lateral, but not medial, osteotomy fragment displacement results in significant reduction of tarsal tunnel volume. The location of the cut does not seem to affect any substantive change in volume. Anteriorly placed osteotomies appear to jeopardize the neurovascular structures more than posteriorly placed osteotomies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide surgeons with clinical evidence in support of performing a prophylactic tarsal tunnel release for patients undergoing lateralizing calcaneal osteotomies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bariteau
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arcuri
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandusky
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: DiGiovanni
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D013640:Tarsal Joints / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: calcaneal osteotomy; tarsal tunnel