Use of a soft tissue expander before surgical treatment of clubfoot in children and adolescents.

Primary closure of the skin after surgical correction of severe clubfoot is difficult, sometimes impossible. The authors describe a surgical technique with the use of a soft tissue expander prior to surgical treatment on clubfoot in children and adolescents. They operated on 13 feet (10 patients) with rigid clubfoot, with ages ranging from 3 to 16 years (average 10 years).