• Press Release

Mount Sinai, First and Only Hospital In New York State, To Offer New Percutaneous Foot Surgery For Bunions And Hammertoes

  • New York, NY
  • (August 03, 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

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

Related Articles
Staten Island
US Open
New York skyscraper seen from a park
USTA
New York skyscraper seen from a park
New York skyscrapers