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Mount Sinai, First and Only Hospital In New York State, To Offer New Percutaneous Foot Surgery For Bunions And Hammertoes
Newswise — (New York – August, 3, 2017) Mount Sinai has been selected as the first and only hospital in New York State to offer percutaneous foot surgery for bunions and hammertoes. Ettore Vulcano, MD, Assistant Professor, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will serve as the pilot surgeon. Dr. Vulcano specializes in foot and ankle surgery and limb lengthening and reconstruction at Mount Sinai West.
Percutaneous foot surgery is an advance in the treatment of bunions and hammertoes. According to Dr. Vulcano, “This technique is an exciting development. This method uses the tiniest of incisions, which allows for smaller scars, less pain, and a quicker recovery. For patients, it results in better toe range of motion and cosmetic appearance of the foot.
“Bunions most commonly affect women and are also often seen in patients with flatfoot,” said Dr. Vulcano. “They tend to get worse with pregnancy, since the soft tissues get looser, thus aggravating the bunion deformity.”
Non-operative treatment entails wearing wide-toe box shoes, avoiding heels and using a toe spacer. Surgery is indicated for bunions that cause pain and/or limit normal activities of daily living.
“This new surgery promises a quicker return to sports and wearing shoes with heels, if desired. In addition, high-risk patients, such as those who smoke or are obese; people with diabetes; and those with poor blood flow or neuropathy, are candidates for this type of surgery,” he continued.
Dr. Vulcano trained in Europe, where this specialized procedure has been performed for 20 years, as well as in Australia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the technology in spring of 2017. Wright Medical, with headquarters in the United Kingdom and in Memphis, Tennessee, distributes and manufactures the hardware and technology in the United States.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the “Honor Roll” of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals."
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