To evaluate the reliability of preoperative and postoperative distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA) measurements and to determine whether such reliability is different in accordance with the foot and ankle fellowship and the number of years in practice.

Between July 2012 and June 2014, a total of 20 patients (24 feet) were treated with proximal chevron osteotomy and distal soft tissue procedure for symptomatic hallux valgus deformity. DMAA were measured twice with an interval of two weeks between the preoperative and postoperative dorsoplantar radiographs by four observers; two of whom were foot and ankle surgeons (A and B), one knee surgeon, and one senior resident. The intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reliability were assessed by intra-class correlation coefficients. Moreover, the limit of agreement between the preoperative and postoperative DMAA measurements were assessed using a Bland-Altman plot.

The intraobserver reproducibility of the foot and ankle surgeon A, knee surgeon, and senior resident improved from 0.796, 0.575, and 0.586 preoperatively to 0.968, 0.864, and 0.864 postoperatively, respectively. The interobserver reliability of foot and ankle surgeon A-B, foot and ankle surgeon A-knee surgeon, and foot and ankle surgeon A-senior resident improved from 0.874, 0.688, and 0.677 preoperatively to 0.971, 0.917, and 0.838 postoperatively, respectively.

The intra- and interobserver reliabilities for DMAA measurement improved after proximal chevron osteotomy. Therefore, the necessity of additional procedures to correct the increased DMAA should be reevaluated after proximal chevron osteotomy in the hallux valgus with an increased DMAA.