Volpe A, Monestier L, Malara T, Riva G, La Barbera G, Surace MF. Müller-Weiss disease: Four case reports. World J Orthop 2020; 11(11): 507-515 [PMID: 33269217 DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v11.i11.507]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Luca Monestier, MD, Doctor, Surgeon, Orthopedic and Trauma Unit, ASST Sette Laghi, via L. Borri 57, Varese 21100, Italy. dottlucamonestier@outlook.it
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Orthop. Nov 18, 2020; 11(11): 507-515 Published online Nov 18, 2020. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v11.i11.507
Müller-Weiss disease: Four case reports
Antonio Volpe, Luca Monestier, Teresa Malara, Giacomo Riva, Giuseppe La Barbera, Michele Francesco Surace
Antonio Volpe, Foot and Ankle Clinic, Policlinico Abano Terme, Abano Terme 35031, Italy
Luca Monestier, Giacomo Riva, Giuseppe La Barbera, Michele Francesco Surace, Orthopedic and Trauma Unit, ASST Sette Laghi, Varese 21100, Italy
Teresa Malara, Department of Biomedical Science and Functional Images, Università di Messina, Messina 98122, Italy
Michele Francesco Surace, Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Pathology and Surgery of the Musculoskeletal System, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV), University of Insubria, Varese 21020, Italy
Author contributions: Volpe A, Monestier L and Riva G were the patients’ surgeons; Volpe A, Monestier L, Malara T, La Barbera G and Riva G reviewed the literature and contributed to manuscript drafting; Monestier L analyzed the imaging findings; Surace MF, Monestier L and Volpe A were responsible for revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; all authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from all the patients for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Luca Monestier, MD, Doctor, Surgeon, Orthopedic and Trauma Unit, ASST Sette Laghi, via L. Borri 57, Varese 21100, Italy. dottlucamonestier@outlook.it
Received: February 29, 2020 Peer-review started: February 29, 2020 First decision: April 25, 2020 Revised: May 26, 2020 Accepted: September 1, 2020 Article in press: September 1, 2020 Published online: November 18, 2020
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Müller-Weiss disease (MWD) is an idiopathic foot condition characterized by spontaneous tarsal “scaphoiditis” in adults. Frequently bilateral and affecting females during the 4th-6th decades of life, the pathogenesis of MWD remains unclear: It has been traditionally considered a spontaneous osteonecrosis of the navicular. The typical presentation of MWD is a long period of subtle discomfort followed by prolonged standing, atraumatic, disabling pain. Currently, there is no gold standard for the treatment of patients with MWD. Most support initial conservative therapy. Operative treatment should be considered for failure of conservative therapies longer than 6 months. The indication for surgery is severity of symptoms rather than severity of deformities. Operative treatment options include core decompression, internal fixation of the tarsal navicular, open or arthroscopic triple fusion, talo-navicular or talo-navicular-cuneiform arthrodesis, and navicular excision with reconstruction of the medial column.
CASE SUMMARY
In this study, we report four patients affected by MWD. Clinical and radiographic assessment, follow-up and treatment are reported.
CONCLUSION
As it is frequently misdiagnosed, MWD is challenging for orthopedic surgeons. Early diagnosis and effective treatment are mandatory to avoid sequelae.
Core tip: Müller-Weiss is a subtle disease of the foot, rarely described in the literature. This study describes four cases, examines in detail the etiopathogenesis reported in the literature and describes available treatments. We believe that these findings could assist orthopedic surgeons in the successful management of this foot disorder.
