Multiple tarsal coalitions in the same foot.

Abstract

I reviewed 60 cases of tarsal coalition seen at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children over the last 10 years. Twenty-nine patients had plain films only and were excluded from the study. One patient was diagnosed with synovitis at the time of surgery and was also excluded. Thirty patients with 53 coalitions had computed tomographic (CT) and, in many cases, surgical documentation of a tarsal coalition. Of these 30 patients, six had multiple coalitions in the same foot. This article briefly summarizes the six cases and reviews the literature of multiple tarsal coalitions, both before and after the use of CT. I suggest that multiple coalitions in the same foot are more common than once thought and recommend CT evaluation of both feet in transaxial and coronal planes in patients with suspected tarsal coalition.