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Home / Treatments / Limb lengthening and deformity correction
Limb lengthening and deformity correction are gradual techniques that can help correct the results of irregular bone growth that occurred in childhood, or help repair the damage from an accident, bone loss or a nonunion (a fracture that has not healed properly). The bone is corrected in these procedures by osteotomy followed by slowly lengthening or correcting the limb. It is very important that this type of specialized surgery is carried out and supervised by an experienced limb reconstruction team, which often includes an orthopedic, a plastic and a neuro-vascular surgeon.
The external fixator is used to place the bone in the correct position and alignment until bone healing occurs and deformity correction is achieved. This typically takes approximately six weeks for a simple fracture and up to one year or longer for a more complicated procedure. A limb reconstruction surgeon may ask a patient to turn one or more pieces to gradually lengthen the bone. When lengthening is complete, the fixation must stay on until the bone has healed.
The Fitbone™ Intramedullary Limb-Lengthening System was developed in partnership with Professor Baumgart. The product was launched in 1997. Since then, this innovative treatment concept has grown into a global success story. The Fitbone TAA Intramedullary Lengthening system is intended for limb lengthening of the femur and tibia. With appropriate pre-operative planning, it is possible to ensure good limb alignment so that the limb is correct at the end of lengthening.
The Orthofix Limb Reconstruction System™ (LRS) is a series of modular monolateral external fixators used in reconstructive procedures for treatment of short stature, bone loss, open fractures, non-union, and angular deformities
The MiniRail External Fixation System consists of small rails and screws for fixation of small bones when a condition does not allow for implanting internal devices. The MiniRail is designed to help with a variety of deformity corrections and lengthening procedures of small bones and joints in the foot and upper limb.
The Ilizarov System has experienced many modifications over the last fifty years. The TrueLok™ Ring Fixation System, developed at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) in Dallas, Texas, is one of the modern variants of the original fixator, but preserves many of the original principles of Professor Ilizarov. It consists of aluminum rings available in different sizes, connected to the bone through metal wires or/and bone screws. The relative movements of the rings allow the correction of almost all the bone deformities in upper and lower limbs and in the foot.
TL-HEX is a dynamic, 3D external fixation system that combines hardware and software to correct bone deformities. This hexapod-based system functions as a 3D bone segment-repositioning module. In essence, the system consists of circular and semi-circular external supports secured to the bones by wires and half-pins, interconnected by six struts.
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