Minimally Invasive / Keyhole Surgery

Introducing Minimally Invasive/Keyhole Surgery at Prospect Podiatry

There is increasing interest around the world for the performance of Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) techniques in many different areas of the body to minimise recovery time, pain and complications.

Podiatric Surgeon, Andrew van Essen, is an accredited Fellow of  The Academy of Ambulatory Foot & Ankle Surgery (AAFAS) and one of the few Podiatric Surgeons practicing the Minimally Invasive/Keyhole Surgery technique in South Australia and Northern Territory.

MIS can be performed on-site at our Prospect Podiatry clinic in our well-equipped procedure room, this means we can avoid additional hospital costs to keep fees at a minimum.

A fee estimate will be provided at your initial consultation, which will include:

• Facility Fee
• Surgeon’s Fee
• Dressings
• Follow-up consultations

MIS is not suitable for all foot surgery but it has a role in a selected number of procedures, in particular, Hammer Toes and the correction of both simple and complex toe deformities.

If you are unhappy having ongoing podiatry treatment for corns caused by hammer toes or you find you are getting minimal relief from treatment and if you want a permanent correction,
then MIS hammer toe surgery is a serious option to consider.

Traditional open surgery means big incisions, creating trauma requiring long healing periods, pins to position the toe and then an additional procedure for the removal of the pins. In some cases, the traditional procedure is required, but most patients can now benefit from Minimally Invasive/Keyhole Surgery (MIA) making surgery for the correction of painful toes an option for many people. MIS for hammer toes is usually performed in an outpatient surgical setting under local anaesthesia or if preferred sedation can be used as well.

The surgery consists of a small incision made in the skin through which small instruments can be inserted to perform a series of selected tendon releases and bone cuts to correct the position of the toe. A mini c-arm, which is a portable, low powered x-ray unit can be used to guide the surgeon. Generally, the joints in the toes are left intact so there is less stiffness afterward. Small incisions usually mean no sutures, less pain and swelling and lower chance of complications.

Compression dressings are applied afterward and you can walk straight away but you will need to take it easy and keep your foot dry for 3-4 days until the first dressing change. The dressings are removed and the toes will be splinted into position with low allergy tape. Soon after this, you will be able to get back into your own roomy comfortable shoes. The toes are splinted for about 6 weeks to maintain correction and reduce swelling.  During this period you can start to resume normal activity. Everybody heals at different rates so recovery times will vary. Recent research and audit data show consistent results with low complication rates.

Currently, there are only a few surgeons with training and experience in MIS. There is a steep learning curve for surgeons to switch to MIS from traditional techniques.  Having invested a lot of time with training overseas in the USA and a large number of procedures in Australia, we are now able to offer “Keyhole” techniques at Prospect Podiatry.

Like all surgery, MIS is not a miracle procedure, but it is a significant evolution in surgical technique for correcting painful hammer, mallet and claw toe deformities.