CLUBFOOT TREATMENT BY THE PONSETI METHOD IN YAOUNDE, ABOUT A COHORT OF 74 CASES

Clubfoot is a common congenital invalidating pathology. The method of Ponseti, its reference treatment, remains little known in Cameroon: no local studies on the subject. This is why we conducted a prospective evaluation of clubfoot treatment at Promhandicam-Yaound?, a center specialized on the Ponseti method, from August 1st 2013, to November 30th 2016. We followed and treated 47 children with 74 talipesequinovarus feet, by the method of Ponseti. There were 27 (57.45%) bilateral clubfeet, and 20 (42.55%) unilateral including 14 (70%) unilateral rights feet out of the 20. The average age was 12 [1-36] months. The sex ratio was 1.9 boy for 1 girl. The mean initial Pirani score was 5 [4-6] over 6. The average number of plasters before tenotomy was 5 [4-7]. We did 58 (78.38%) percutaneous tenotomies of the Achilles tendon under local anesthesia. All children were prescribed IOWA abduction foot braces permanently (23H/24) for 3 months, and during sleep for up to 4-5 years. We had 63 (85.13%) very good results after an average follow-up of 20 [12-40] months, and recommend this method for those working in conditions similar to ours.