Posted by  juan martinez, laredo texas on 07/14  at  10:43 AM

hi can you give me your opinion my son is going to be operated next monday he is 12 years old and the doctor is going to insert like a little bullet on his feet,he told me that everything is going to be ok, can you tell me if
that operations is bad or good??

thank you

Posted by  jeff kopelman,  on 05/28  at  09:25 PM

The procedure is a modification of an old procedure.This procedure has less complications and a greater success rate due to the new design of the implant.It is the only type II implant approved by the fda for this procedure.The new procedure is like comparing a lap band procedure to a gastric bypass. Its less risky with greater success. However, all surgical procedures carry some risk.

Posted by  Njones, St Petersburg on 05/28  at  12:24 PM

When I took my 9yr old daughter to see Dr K he immediately said she’d need the surgery discussed on today’s show, but that we’d need to wait until her foot developed more.  So I started researching the procedure. Turns out there is another man in town who is also an expert in this field.(Dr Gary Katz) In fact he developed a similar implant. He stressed that this procedure on an active child could do more harm than do good. He suggested it was probable that my ice-skater could pop her implant right out of her foot when performing a jump on the ice. (Ouch!) Please encourage your viewers to get a second opinion before considering this option. I felt that Dr K didn’t look at the whole picture of what would be best for my daughter.

Posted by  Pat Bowen, Hudson on 05/28  at  07:08 AM

I just caught the tale end of this report and was wondering if there was more information about flat feet surgery.  Also can you tell me if this is being done in my area.

Thank you for the information.

Pat Bowen

Posted by  Robert Frimmel, Sarasota on 05/28  at  06:30 AM

I think you piece this morning on flat feet was done well with the exception that Dr. Koppelman is not only one of four doctors licensed to do this procedure as you stated.  This procedure is done by any licensed podiatrist in the state of Florida.  The procedure is part of our training and has been for over 20 years.  Dr. Koppleman may have taken an extra workshop on use of this particular implant but he is not specially trained to use this procedure.  If you have any questions concerning this please do not hesitate to contact me.  Robert Frimmel, DPM Past President Florida Podiatric Medical Association, Current Scientific Chairman of the Florida Podiatric Medical Association