We evaluated the results of transfer of the tibialis anterior in the
management of calcaneus deformity in young patients who had myelodysplasia;
fifteen patients (twenty-two feet) were operated on between 1978 and 1985.
The neural deficit was at the fourth and fifth lumbar levels. The average
age at the time of the operation was seven years and two months (range, two
to nineteen years). The average age at the latest follow-up was thirteen
years (range, five to twenty-four years). The average duration of follow-up
was five years and ten months (range, two to eleven years). Seventeen feet
(twelve patients) had a good result (no ulceration of the heel or
osteomyelitis and correction of the calcaneus deformity), and five feet
(three patients) had a poor result (persistent ulceration, signs of
osteomyelitis, recurrent or persistent calcaneus deformity, or the need for
additional operative intervention). Children who were less than five years
old had a better outcome, as determined by the Fisher exact test (p less
than 0.5).