Does Minimally Invasive Surgery Provide Better Clinical or Radiographic Outcomes Than Open Surgery in the Treatment of Hallux Valgus Deformity? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis found that hallux valgus treated with minimally invasive surgery did not result in improved clinical or radiologic outcomes compared with open surgery. Methodologic shortcomings of the source studies in this meta-analysis likely inflated the apparent benefits of minimally invasive surgery, such that in reality it may be inferior to the traditional approach. Given the associated learning curves-during which patients may be harmed by surgeons who are gaining familiarity with a new technique-we are unable to recommend the minimally invasive approach over traditional approaches, in light of the absence of any clinically important benefits identified in this meta-analysis. Future research should ensure studies are methodologically robust using validated clinical and radiologic parameters, as well as patient-reported outcome measures, to assess the long-term outcomes of minimally invasive surgery.