DEFINITION OF COURSE
A comprehensive one-trimester, 4 hours per week course dealing with soft tissue and osseous pathology affecting the toes and lesser metatarsus. The structure and function of the forefoot will be discussed, and patient evaluation and perioperative management will be described. Emphasis will be placed on specific reconstructive surgical procedures, both historical and currently used, with detailed attention being paid to sound surgical principles, rationale for selection, step-by-step performance, and objective postoperative assessment.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
Following completion of this course, the student will be expected to have the didactic knowledge necessary for the development of a functional clinical and practical understanding of forefoot surgery. Basic surgical principles and a thorough knowledge of the surgical anatomy of the toes and lesser metatarsus will serve as the foundations for this clinical and practical understanding of forefoot surgery.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE IN THE CURRICULUM
This course is designed to familiarize the student with the appropriate diagnostic techniques, and accepted conservative and surgical treatment of patients suffering diseases and disorders of the forefoot. Abnormalities of the forefoot constitute a great deal of the pathology treated by the podiatrist.