Mueller–Weiss disease

Description

Müller-Weiss disease (aka Brailsford disease) is a complex idiopathic foot condition with deformity of the tarsal navicular. Commonly presents in adulthood with chronic mid and hindfoot pain. Distinct from Köhler disease, the osteochondrosis of the tarsal navicular bone in children. 

Definitions vary through the literature for MWS and MWD…

• Müller-Weiss disease (MWD, Tarsal scaphoiditis): dysplasia of the tarsal navicular that is developed during childhood and suffered during adulthood. The talar head shifts laterally over the os calcis, driving the subtalar joint into varus
• Müller-Weiss syndrome (MWS): spontaneous osteonecrosis of the tarsal navicular in adults, and a rare cause of chronic medial midfoot pain.

History of Mueller–Weiss disease

1925 – Georg Schmidt was the first to report a similar condition in a patient with pluriglandular insufficiency syndrome. No images provided.

1927 – Walther Müller (1888 – 1949), a German orthopedic surgeon published the first images of a compressed, condensed, and fragmented tarsal navicular. Müller described the “double navicular” as an osteological manifestation in a patient who developed a severe deformity of the navicular bone in both feet. In 1928, Müller attributed its aetiology as a congenital origin, not traumatic, being the compression the cause of this alteration

1929 – Konrad Weiss (1891 – 1976) was an Austrian radiologist described two similar cases. Based on radiographic signs of increased bone sclerosis and adjacent joint space narrowing, Weiss postulated osteonecrosis as the underlying aetiology.

1939 – James F. Brailsford (1888 – 1961) further defined osteochondritis of the navicular bone or listhesis navicularis. He described 9 cases of osteochondritis of the tarsal navicular in adult women:

…an oblique splitting of the navicular and separation of the two fragments: the inner fragment gradually glides over the head of the astragalus to its medial side; the outer fragment overrides the dorsal surface of the second and third cuneiforms.

Brailsford 1939

Associated Persons

• Alban Köhler (1874 – 1947)
• Walther Müller (1888 – 1949)
• Konrad Weiss (1891 – 1976)
• James Frederick Brailsford (1888 – 1961)

Alternative names

• Müller – Weiss syndrome, Mueller – Weiss syndrome (MWS)
• Mueller – Weiss disease, Müller – Weiss disease (MWD)
• Listhesis navicularis

References

Original articles

• Schmidt G. Köhler’sche Krankheit des Kahnbeins beider Füße in Verbindung mit pluriglandulärer Insuffizienz und als Ursache von Pes adducts. Münchener medizinische Wochenschrift. 1925; 72: 368-369
• Müller W. Über eine eigenartige doppelseitige Veränderung des Os naviculare pedis beim Erwachsenen. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Chirurgie, 1927; 201: 84-87.
• Müller W. Über eine typische Gestaltsveränderung beim Os naviculare pedis und ihre klinische Bedeutung. Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der Röntgenstrahlen 1928; 37: 38–42.
• Weiss K. Über die “Malazie” des Os naviculare pedis. Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der Röntgenstrahlen, 1929; 40: 63-67.

Review articles

• Maceira E, Rochera R. Müller-Weiss disease: clinical and biomechanical features. Foot and Ankle Clinics. 2004; 9(1): 105-125
• Venu V, Andrews G, Forster BB. Answer to case of the month #129. Mueller-Weiss syndrome. Can Assoc Radiol J. 2008; 59(1): 39-40
• Mohiuddin T, Jennison T, Damany D. Müller-Weiss disease – review of current knowledge. Foot Ankle Surg. 2014; 20(2): 79-84.
• Bartolotta RJ et al. Mueller-Weiss syndrome: imaging and implications. Clin Imaging. 2014; 38(6): 895-8
• Chiavegatti R, Canales P, Saldias E, Isidro A. Earliest Probable Case of Mueller-Weiss Disease From Ancient Egypt. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2018; 57(5): 1034-1036
• Monteagudo M, Maceira E. Management of Müller-Weiss Disease In: Avascular necrosis of the foot and ankle. Foot and Ankle Clinics. 2019; 24(1): 1-172
• Ahmed AA, Kandil MI, Tabl EA, Elgazzar AS. Müller-Weiss Disease: A Topical Review. Foot Ankle Int. 2019 Dec;40(12):1447-1457
• Gomez A, Cadogan M. Eponymythology of foot injuries. LITFL

[cite]