Medical Literature in the Treatment of Clubfoot 1997 - 2021: The Emergence and Spread of the Ponseti Method Over 23 Years

Background: The Ponseti method of treatment for clubfoot which utilizes serial manipulations and casting in order to achieve correction of the deformity has become increasingly popular due to its robust track record of success without the need for surgical intervention and is considered the gold standard for clubfoot treatment. Exposure of new technology in the scientific literature is associated with the diffusion and adoption of that technology in clinical practice. The aim of this study sought to identify tendencies in the thematic changes in medical literature regarding the treatment of congenital clubfoot over a period of twenty-three years, from 1997 to 2021.

Methods: The Medline databases were searched for articles containing the keyword "clubfoot". Articles from 1997 to 2021 were identified and analyzed by institutions which published the articles, and whether treatment was with the Ponseti method or surgical interventions. We also observed in order the geographic diffusion of the Ponseti method.

Results: 2067 articles were found in Pubmed referencing clubfoot, and in these publications 577 addressed the Ponseti method and 273 articles discussed surgical treatment. From 1997 - 2000, the only articles discussing the Ponseti Method were from Iowa,in the United States. The increasing number of publications about the Ponseti method and the decrease in publications about surgical treatment for clubfoot occurred after 2003. In 1997, only one country had a publication regarding the Ponseti method; by 2018, 24 countries published articles on the method.

Conclusion: These results suggest a trend of dissemination of knowledge to additional countries, reflecting the more widespread usage of the method throughout the world, and global outreach as a result of the work of Ponseti International Association. Level of Evidence: II.