Abstract:[Objective] To compare the clinical outcomes of Weil osteotomy versus metatarsophalangeal release of 2~5 toes on the basis of first metatarsophalangeal fusion for rheumatoid forefoot deformities. [Methods] A retrospective study was conducted on 36 patients who un- derwent surgical treatment for rheumatoid forefoot deformities in our department from July 2016 to July 2020. According to the preoperative doctor-patient communication, the patients were divided into two groups. On the basis of the first metatarsophalangeal fusion, 16 patients re- ceived 2~5- toe Weil osteotomy on the metatarsal head (osteotomy group), while the remaining 20 patients received metatarsophalangeal re- lease of 2~5 toes (release group) . The documents regarding to perioperative period, follow-up and images were compared between the two groups. [Results] All the patients in both groups had operation performed successfully without serious complications. There were no signifi- cant differences between the two groups in terms of operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, incision healing, hospital stay, and time to return ambulation (P>0.05) , but the treatment cost of osteotomy group was significantly higher than that of release group (P<0.05) . As time went in the follow- up lasted for (15.23±2.36) months, the VAS score significantly decreased (P< 0.05) , while the AOFAS and Maryland scores significantly increased in both groups (P<0.05) , additionally, the grip strength in osteotomy group significantly improved (P<0.05) , whereas remained unchanged in the release group (P>0.05) . At any corresponding time points, there were no significant differences in VAS, AOFAS and Maryland scores between the two groups (P>0.05) . However, the osteotomy groups proved significantly superior to the release group in term of grip strength at latest follow-up (P<0.05) . Radiographically, both the hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal angle (IMA) significantly decreased postoperatively in the two groups compared with those preoperatively (P< 0.05) , whereas which proved not statistically significant between the two groups at any corresponding time points (P>0.05) . [Conclusion] On the basis of first metatarsophalangeal fusion, both Weil osteotomy and metatarsophalangeal release of the 2~5 toes can achieve satisfactory clinical results for rheumatoid forefoot deformities. In comparison, the osteotomy group has better grip strength than the release group.