Paragraph Number

463

Note that Figure 35C illustrates a wedge cut that does not extend to the opposite side of the bone, instead approximately a 1-3 mm section, portion 3410, of bone may be left on the other side (lateral side) of the bone. This section 3410 can facilitate handling of the parts of the first proximal phalanx 3406 during the surgical osteotomy procedure (e.g., an Akin osteotomy). In certain embodiments, the remaining portion 3410 can be used as a living hinge to keep the two parts of the bone together during a fixation step or during one or more steps of the surgical osteotomy procedure. Advantageously, using the methods of this disclosure one can define how thick to make the section 3410 as well as what angles to cut in the bone for the wedge.

Added by DJM Jan 2024