Thomas Jan Gaetan Mathieu
University of Antwerp, Belgium
Title: Iselin’s disease: Case report and literature review
Biography
Biography: Thomas Jan Gaetan Mathieu
Abstract
Iselin’s disease (ID) or traction apophysitis of the fifth metatarsal base is a very rare cause of lateral foot pain. Dr. Hans Iselin, a German physician, described this pathology for the first time in 1912. Since then, only 17 cases have been reported in literature. Probably, ID is underdiagnosed due to absence of recognition and the paucity of suspicion. The confusing pathology of the proximal part of the fifth metatarsal can make ID difficult to differentiate from an avulsion fracture, a Jones’ fracture, a stress fracture of the base of the fifth metatarsal or an os vesalianum. To the authors’ knowledge, there are no collected data or published clinical series of Iselin’s disease. The purpose of this study was to report a case of ID to show the clinical presence of the pathology and to systematically review the available evidence on Iselin’s disease to provide an opportunity to better understand the clinical and radiographic characteristics, differential diagnosis and treatment of Iselin’s disease. A systematic literature review of articles published in the world literature focusing on Iselin’s disease was performed. The researchers identified 17 cases of ID through an extensive PubMed and EMBASE search of the literature for the terms Iselin’s disease and traction apophysitis of the fifth metatarsal. Iselin’s disease should be suspected in teenagers around 10-15 years of age who present with lateral foot pain, without trauma in history. Radiographic examination is crucial to diagnose. Management is done by conservative methods in the form of rest, ice packs and an orthosis with a lateral wedge.