Abstract Symptomatic midfoot arthritis has been reported to affect 12-17% of adults that are 50 years of age or older(1-2). Midfoot arthrodesis is considered the standard of care for the surgical treatment of degenerative arthritis, instability, and deformity of the tarsometatarsal and naviculocuneiform joints once conservative measures fail. Fixation constructs for midfoot arthrodesis mainly consist of dorsal plates, screws and staples. However, symptomatic hardware removal remains a common complication following this procedure. Structural allograft dowel constructs may offer an alternative fixation strategy that may provide stable arthrodesis while eliminating prominent hardware. This pilot retrospective series evaluates early radiographic union, complication rates, and hardware removal incidence following midfoot arthrodesis using a structural 3-D printed titanium fenestrated hollow dowel. A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent midfoot arthrodesis using a structural 3-D printed titanium fenestrated hollow dowel between October 2024 and April 2025. Five patients met our inclusion criteria. Mean body mass index was 33.5 kg/m² (range 25.7–44.4). Radiographic union was achieved in 100% of cases, with CT confirmation in three patients and plain radiographic confirmation in two patients. Mean follow-up was 8.8 months. There were no complications, nonunions, revisions, or hardware removals. In this pilot series, structural allograft dowel constructs demonstrated early incorporation and absence of secondary hardware removal procedures. Level Of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series (pilot study)
Badillo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.