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Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_1 | Pages 103 - 103
1 Jan 2013
Lee P Neelapala V O'Hara J
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Introduction. Perthes disease is associated with coxa breva, plana and magna, and a high riding prominent greater trochanter causing abductor shortening and weakness, leg shortening and extra-articular impingement. A trochanteric advancement with an infero-lateralizing sliding osteotomy of the proximal femur would lengthen femoral neck, improve abductor length and strength, relieve impingement and improve leg length. We assessed the mid-term outcomes for this procedure. Method. We included patients who underwent the operation by the senior author (JNOH) with more than 2 years follow-up. The osteotomies were performed under image intensifier guidance and fixed with blade plate or locking plates. We assessed functional scores, radiological changes in neck length, Tonnis grading for arthritis and evidence of progression in femoral head avascular necrosis, time interval for conversion to hip arthroplasty and associated complications. Results. Twenty four patients (25 hips) underwent the procedure at mean age of 18.7 years (range:9.3–38.8) with a mean follow-up of 5 years (range:2–13.8). At the last assessment, the mean Oxford Hip Score was 41.6 (range:58–27), Non-Arthritic Hip Score was 53.4 (range:25–77) and UCLA activity score was 4.2 (range:2–6). For changes in neck length, the mean “Head-centre-to-Greater-trochanteric-tip-distance” was 60 mm (range:43–78) compared to 39 mm (range:30–48) pre-operatively and the mean “Head-center-to-Lesser-trochanteric-tip-distance” was 54 mm (range:47–64) compared to 37 mm (range:31–41) pre-operatively. The mean Tonnis grade was 1.5 (range:1–3) compared to 1.3 (range:1–2) pre-operatively. Two patients underwent arthroplasty conversion at 2 and 13.8 years later. One patient needed head-neck debridement for impingement and 2 patients underwent trochanteric refixation for non-union. There was no progression in avascular necrosis of femoral head. Discussion. Symptomatic Perthes hip deformity in adolescents and young adults is difficult to treat with joint preserving surgery. The mid-term clinical, functional and radiological results for double proximal femur osteotomy are encouraging


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_15 | Pages 336 - 336
1 Mar 2013
Song I Lee C
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Background. We have performed total knee arthroplasties for valgus and varus in the knees of one person and investigate the clinical characteristics of these patients and the relationship between the kind of deformity and postoperative result. Methods. From March 2002 to February 2010, 25 patients who had simultaneous varus and valgus knee deformities underwent total knee arthroplasties and followed more than 12 months were included. The average age was 66.9 years and the average follow-up period was 61.1 months. Follow-up imaging assessments were taken and clinical outcome were evaluated using HSS score at last follow-up. Results. 11 cases had more pain in varus knee and 8 cases had more pain in valgus knee preoperatively. In 11 cases, degenerative scoliosis were associated with the knee deformity and among the cases, 10 cases had valgus deformities in concave side of scoliosis. In three cases, hip deformities were noted in ipsilateral side of the valgus deformity. One case showed both hip deformities with ankylosing spondylitis. Preoperative mean valgus angle was 11.4 degree and varus angle was 7.5 degree. Postoperative valgus and varus angle improved to 6.3 and −5.7 degree. HSS score improved from 64.3 to 84.7 point in valgus deformities and from 62.1 to 85.1 point in varus deformities. Postoperative patellar clunk syndrome was identified in one valgus knee, but resolved by arthroscopic debridement. And postoperatively, one case showed out-toeing gait caused by equinovarus deformity in varus knee, but resolved by correction of foot deformity. Conclusions. Simultaneous or staged total knee arthroplasties in patients with simultaneous varus with contralateral valgus knee deformities brought satisfactory outcomes with regard to objective orthopedic criteria such as radiographic and clinical results. Concave aspect of scoliosis and hip deformity correlate with valgus knee in statistically. But rheumatoid factor and VDRL do not correlate with valgus deformity. And we found no significant difference between the kind of deformity and postoperative result


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_10 | Pages 71 - 71
1 May 2016
Tamaki T Miura Y Oinuma K Higashi H Kaneyama R Shiratsuchi H
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Background. Pre-operative autologous blood donation is recommended as a means of reducing the need for allogeneic transfusion before simultaneous bilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, there have been few reports on the optimal amount of autologous donation for this procedure. In this study we sought to determine the amount of autologous blood required for patient undergoing simultaneous bilateral THA using the direct anterior approach. Methods. We retrospectively enrolled 325 consecutive patients (650 hips) underwent simultaneous bilateral primary THA from January 2012 to June 2014. Thirty-three patients were men and 290 patients were women. The patients’ mean age at THA was 59.1 years. All THAs were performed using the direct anterior approach. Intraoperative blood salvage was applied for all patients and postoperative blood salvage was not applied for any patients. Results. The mean intraoperative blood loss and the mean operative time for the bilateral procedure were 413±165 g and 87.2±12.3 minutes, respectively. Two hundreds and forty-one of the 325 patients (74.2%) donated an average of 1.9 (range, 1–2) units of autologous blood before the operation. The mean hemoglobin levels on the preoperative day, postoperative day 1 and postoperative day 5 were 12.5g/dl, 10.5 g/dl and 9.5 g/dl, respectively. Only 1 patient (0.3%) required postoperative transfusions of allogeneic blood. All of the autologous units collected were transfused, and no units were wasted. Conclusion. Simultaneous bilateral THA can be performed without allogenic blood transfusion in 99.7% of patients. We could not find out significant effectiveness of an average of 1.9 units of autologous blood donation for this procedure in this study. We concluded that simultaneous bilateral THA can be performed without autologous blood donation in healthy patients without severe hip deformity. Whereas, preoperative donation of autologous blood might be suitable for patients with low body weight or patients with severe hip deformity. The minimally invasive aspect of the direct anterior approach seems to allow a low rate of allogeneic blood transfusion in the study


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 97-B, Issue SUPP_10 | Pages 32 - 32
1 Oct 2015
Sonanis S
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We present a study done to measure the change of angle of the acetabulum or cup, due to leg length discrepancy, deformity of hip and spine on standing. In 1998 a 3-dimensional reconstruction of hip model was prepared on CAD and the change of angle of the cup was measured as Functional Acetabular Inclination Angle (FAIA) with patient standing without squaring the pelvis. The FAIA on standing was compared with angle of the cup with patient in supine position with squared pelvis. The position of the cup changed on weight bearing due to multiple issues. The results showed that one centimetre of leg lengthening changed FAIA by 3°, 10° of abduction deformity resulted in apparent lengthening of 2.87 cm and loss of lordosis anteverted the cup on loading and vice-versa. We conclude that fixed hip deformities, leg length discrepancy and spine deformities can affect the angle of cup in hip replacement surgery and may prone to dislocations, impingement and segmental wear of the cup


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_20 | Pages 102 - 102
1 Nov 2016
Beaulé P Anwander H Gerd M Rakhra K Mistry M
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Cam-type femoral acetabular impingement (FAI), is a common structural hip deformity and thought to be a leading cause of early hip osteoarthritis. Although patients who undergo surgical correction notice improved clinical function it is unclear what impact this has on the overall health of the cartilage. T1rho MRI cartilage mapping has been shown to be a reliable imaging technique to assess the proteoglycan (PG) content potentially serving as a biomarker. This study analyses post surgical changes in T1rho levels in hip joints treated with cam FAI. Eleven patients with a mean age of 38 (all males) underwent pre and post T1Rho Cartilage mapping of their hips at a mean time of 20 months post surgical intervention. The acetabulum was spatially divided into 4 main regions of interest (ROI), with levels of T1Rho in cartilage quantified as a whole and in each spatial segment. T1Rho signal is inversely correlated with level of PG content. All patients demonstrated loss of PG content on pre-op imaging with a T1Rho of 33.5ms+2.6ms. Preop T1rho levels were found to significantly correlated with the difference between pre-op and post-op T1rho in entire hip cartilage (R: 0.73; p=0.016). This correlation was reflected both in the anterolateral quadrant (R: 0.86; p=0.002), and in the posteriosuperior quadrant (R:0.70; p=0.035). Additionally, significant correlation was found between improvement of WOMAC pain score over time, and difference of T1rho values over time in the most lateral 3mm slice of the anterolateral quadrant (R: 0.81; p=0.045). Significant correlation was found between pre-op alpha angle at 1:30 and difference between pre-op and post-op total cartilage T1rho content (R: −065;p=0.038). T1Rho Cartilage mapping of the hip is a useful biomarker in the assessment of the surgical management of Cam type FAI. This preliminary data provides some evidence that surgical correction of the deformity can help minimise disease progression


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 33 - 33
1 Jan 2016
Hashimoto Y Tsujimoto T Ando W Koyama T Yamamoto K Ohzono K
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Modulus femoral prosthesis is a modular cementless femoral system which consists of 5 degree tapered conical stem made of a titanium alloy with 8 fins of 1mm and modular neck. Modular neck enables to control any ideal stem anteversion as a surgeon prefers. This system is considered to be useful in severe hip deformity, for example developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). In this study, clinical and radiographic outcomes of the Modulus femoral prosthesis were evaluated at a mean of 3.6 (2–6) years postoperatively. We assessed the results of 193 primary total hip arthroplasty using a Modulus femoral prosthesis in 169 patients (15 males, 154 females) undergoing surgery between September 2007 and December 2011. The mean age at the time of surgery was 65.6 (31–86) years old. The diagnoses were osteoarthritis (OA) in 178 hips (including 167 hips of DDH), rapidly destructive coxopathy (RDC) in 6 hips, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 6 hips, osteonecrosis in 2 hips, and subchondral insufficiency fracture in one hip. Clinical outcomes were assessed using Japan Orthopedic Association (JOA) hip scores and complications. Radiographic assessments were including stem alignment, bone on-growth, cortical hypertrophy, stress shielding and stem subsidence. 43.8 points of the preoperative mean JOA score was significantly improved to 93.1 points postoperatively. In one case intraoperative femoral fracture was occurred. One dislocation had occurred and thigh pain was observed in one hip. No revision surgery was required. In 192 hips of 193 hips (99.5%), stem was implanted in neutral position (within ±2 degrees). Bone on-growth was observed in all cases (94.3% in zone 3; 73.1% in zone 5; 30.6% in zone 2; 22.3% in zone 6). Cortical hypertrophy was observed in 66 hips (34.2%) at zone 3 and 5. Reduction of bone density due to stress shielding was observed (1. st. degree was 58.5%; 2. nd. degree was 29.5%; 3. rd. degree was 11.9%; 4. th. degree was 0%). In 22 cases (11.4%), more than 2mm of stem subsidence was observed, however the subsidence was stopped within 6 months in all cases. Modulus femoral prosthesis showed good clinical results and radiographic findings up to 6 years postoperatively


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_17 | Pages 71 - 71
1 Nov 2016
Trousdale R
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Background: Structural hip deformities including developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) are thought to predispose patients to degenerative joint changes. However, the natural history of these malformations is not clearly delineated. Methods: Seven-hundred twenty-two patients ≤55 years that received unilateral primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) from 1980–1989 were identified. Pre-operative radiographs were reviewed on the contralateral hip and only hips with Tönnis Grade 0 degenerative change that had minimum 10-year radiographic follow-up were included. Radiographic metrics in conjunction with the review of two experienced arthroplasty surgeons determined structural hip diagnosis as DDH, FAI, or normal morphology. Every available follow-up AP radiograph was reviewed to determine progression from Tönnis Grade 0–3 until the time of last follow-up or operative intervention with THA. Survivorship was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methodology, hazard ratios, and multi-state modeling. Results: One-hundred sixty-two patients met all eligibility criteria with the following structural diagnoses: 48 DDH, 74 FAI, and 40 normal. Mean age at the time of study inclusion was 47 years (range 18–55), with 56% females. Mean follow-up was 20 years (range 10 – 35 years). Thirty-five patients eventually required THA: 16 (33.3%) DDH, 13 (17.6%) FAI, 6 (15.0%) normal. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with DDH progressed most rapidly, followed by FAI, with normal hips progressing the slowest. The mean number of years spent in each Tönnis stage by structural morphology was as follows: Tönnis 0: DDH = 17.0 years, FAI = 14.8 years, normal = 22.9 years; Tönnis 1: DDH = 12.2 years, FAI = 13.3 years, normal = 17.5 years; Tönnis 2: DDH = 6.0 years, FAI = 9.7 years, normal = 8.6 years; Tönnis 3: DDH = 1.6 years, FAI = 2.6 years, normal = 0.2 years. Analysis of degenerative risk for categorical variables showed that patients with femoral head lateralization >10 mm, femoral head extrusion indices >0.25, acetabular depth-to-width index <0.38, lateral center-edge angle <25 degrees, and Tönnis angle >10 degrees all had a greater risk of progression from Tönnis 0 to Tönnis 3 or THA. Among patients with FAI morphology, femoral head extrusion indices >0.25, lateral center-edge angle <25 degrees, and Tönnis angle >10 degrees all increased the risk of early radiographic progression. Analysis of degenerative risk for continuous variables using smoothing splines showed that risk was increased for the following: femoral head lateralization >8 mm, femoral head extrusion index >0.20, acetabular depth-to-width index <0.30, lateral center-edge angle <25 degrees, and Tönnis angle >8 degrees. Conclusions: This study defines the long-term natural history of DDH and FAI in comparison to structurally normal young hips with a presumably similar initial prognostic risk (Tönnis Grade 0 degenerative change and contralateral primary THA). In general, the fastest rates of degenerative change were observed in patients with DDH. Furthermore, risk of progression based on morphology and current Tönnis stage were defined, creating a new prognostic guide for surgeons. Lastly, radiographic parameters were identified that predicted more rapid degenerative change, both in continuous and categorical fashions, subclassified by hip morphology


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 94-B, Issue SUPP_XXIII | Pages 7 - 7
1 May 2012
Hocking R
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The childhood hip conditions of Developmental Dysplasia, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis have a wide spectrum of anatomical outcomes following childhood treatment; ranging from morphologies, which result in normal hip function throughout life, to severely deranged morphologies, which result in pain and disability during childhood and adolescence. Some of these outcomes are as a result of well-intentioned interventions that result in catastrophic complications. In 2003, after years of working with impingement complicating periacetabular osteotomies and building on the work of William Harris, Reinhold Ganz published his concepts of ‘cam’ and ‘pincer’ hip impingement, and how these anatomical morphologies resulted in hip arthritis in adulthood. These concepts of impingement were added to his previous published work on hip instability to provide a comprehensive theory describing how hip arthritis develops on the basis of anatomical abnormalities. Surgical techniques have been developed to address each of these morphological pathologies. Ganz's concepts of hip impingement and instability may be applied to severe paediatric hip deformities to direct reconstructive joint preserving surgery to both the femur and the acetabulum. Ganz's surgical approaches have also been refined for use in paediatric hip surgery to allow radical reshaping salvage osteotomies to be performed on the developing femoral head with minimal risk of the devastating consequence of vascular Necrosis


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 94-B, Issue SUPP_XXXVIII | Pages 174 - 174
1 Sep 2012
Shore BJ Kim Y Millis MB
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Purpose. Surgical dislocation is useful for assessing and treating proximal femoral hip deformities. Legg-Calv Perthes disease (LCPD) causes proximal femoral growth deformity, resulting in reduced femoral head-neck offset and femoracetabular incongruity. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and report the short-term results of surgical hip dislocation for the treatment of adolescents with healed LCPD. Method. This retrospective review included 29 adolescents [19 males and 10 females, age 17 (range nine-35)] with LCPD, who underwent surgical hip dislocation between January 2001 and December 2009. All subjects had a clear diagnosis of LCPD, pre and postoperative WOMAC scores and at least one year of clinical and radiographic follow up. In addition to surgical dislocation, all patients underwent femoral head-neck osteoplasty, 21 underwent relative femoral neck lengthening and trochanteric transfer, 12 underwent intertrochanteric osteotomy and seven had labral debridement. The average follow-up was three years from the time of surgical intervention. Results. Postoperative WOMAC scores improved globally for pain, stiffness and function (p<0.0001, p<0.0004 and p<0.0009 respectively). Eight patients required additional surgical procedures after surgical dislocation (one periacetabular osteotomy, one flexion intertrochanteric osteotomy, one arthrotomy, five arthroscopies with labral/cartilage debridement. Three patients underwent total hip arthroplasties during the follow-up period and were considered failures. Two of the 29 patients experienced superficial wound complications. Conclusion. Surgical dislocation is an effective technique for the treatment of proximal femur deformity associated with LCPD. In the short-term, patients experience improved symptoms and function from this procedure


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 151 - 151
1 Jan 2016
Liu Q Zhou Y
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Objective. By retrospective analysis of clinical data, to find new risk factors for postoperative dislocation after total hip replacement and the dose-effect relationship when multiple factors work simultaneously. Methods. A nested case-control study was used to collect the dislocated hips from 5513 primary hip replacement case from 2000 to 2012. Apart from the patients with given cause of dislocation, 39 dislocated hips from 38 cases were compared with 78 hip from 78 cases free from dislocation postoperatively, which matched by the admission time. The factors that may affect the prosthetic unstable was found by the univariate analysis, and then they were performed multivariate logistic regression analysis and evaluation of a dose-effect factors. Results. The clinical scores between the two groups was no significant difference before and after surgery. Univariate analysis revealed the position of acetabular prosthesis (P = 0.05) and the big ball (P=0.01) differences were statistically significant. While patient with adduction deformity incorporating limb lengthening≧2cm(P<0.01) or the knee valgus deformity incorporating pelvic obliquity (P=0.01), as well as bilateral cases (P=0.02) were also the risk factors for dislocation. Big head decrease the dislocation rate. Multivariate analysis confirmed these newly founded factors are more important than the classic factors in this group of patients. Conclusion. Patients with hip adduction deformity combined with limb lengthening, knee valgus deformity combined with pelvic obliquity and bilateral pathological hip seem more predisposed to dislocation after total hip arthroplasty, who should be strengthened preoperative education and postoperative management to prevent. Key Word. total hip arthroplasty, dislocation, multivariate analysis


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_7 | Pages 5 - 5
1 May 2016
Abe I Shirai C
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Background. The femoral head center shift on reduction time in total hip arthroplasty (THA) causes alteration of the muscle tension around the hip joint. Many studies about the shift of the femoral head in the cranio-caudal direction or medio-lateral direction on coronal plane have been reported. It has been known widely that the shift on these directions influence tension of the abductor muscle around the hip joint. Nevertheless few studies about the three-dimensional shift including the antero-posterior direction have been reported. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the three-dimensional shift of the femoral head center in THA using three-dimensional THA templating software. Subjects & Methods. The subjects of this study were 156 primary THA cases of 143 patients. Using CT-based three-dimensional THA templating software ZedHip® (LEXI, Tokyo Japan), simulation of optimal implantation was performed on each THA case. On case which has over anteverted or less anteverted femoral neck, a stem which has modular neck system was selected to adjust anteversion of the femoral neck. The three-dimensional shift of the femoral head center on reduction time was calculated with ZedHip®. The three-dimensional shift was resolve into cranio-caudal, medio-lateral and antero-posterior direction (Fig. 1). Furthermore the correlation between the amount of the shift and hip joint deformity was investigated. Results. The average amount of the shift on cranio-caudal direction was 9.9mm to caudal side, on medio-lateral direction was 3.1mm to medial side and on antero-posterior direction was 2.6mm to posterior side. The average total amount of three-dimensional shift was 12.9mm (Fig. 2). On Crowe type 1 hips in 88 cases, the average shift to posterior side was 3.2mm, on Crowe type 2 in 20 cases was 3.7mm and on Crowe type 3 in 13 cases was 4.0mm. Among them there was no significant difference (Fig. 3). Conclusion. At THA surgery, the femoral head center shifted three-dimensionally and the maximum amount of shift on antero-posterior direction was 16.6mm to posterior side. There was no correlation between these amounts of the shift on antero-posterior direction and anatomical deformity of the hip joint. It is important to understand the shift of the femoral head center for predicting the alteration of muscle tension around the hip joint. The shift on antero-posterior direction influences the tension of iliopsoas muscle and there is a possibility that the shift to posterior side causes anterior iliopsoas impingement after THA surgery


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_9 | Pages 96 - 96
1 May 2016
Oh K Ko Y
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Purpose. The positon of short stem is affected by the native anatomy of femoral neck and also by fixation mechanism dependent on design. As a consequence, it has been speculated that restoration of hip geometry might be limited in total hip arthroplasty (THA) using short stem. Therefore, the present study assessed the predictability of restoration of hip geometry using two different CCD-angled short stem engaging the lateral cortex. Materials and Methods. The 60 patients included 15 females and 45 males. The average age was 48.0 years with average BMI 24.2. Biomechanical parameters of hip geometry were analysed on postoperative calibrated radiographs in 30 consecutive primary unilateral THAs using short stem (Metha®, B. Braun Aesculap, Tuttlingen, Germany) with 120° CCD angle (group I) and 30 match controlled cases with 135° CCD angle (group II) and compared to those of the contralateral hip without deformity. The matching process was done before collecting the radiographic measurements by two blinded observer and was for sex, age ± 5 years, and BMI ± 7 units in that order. Results. Head length was short in 40%, 67%, medium in 37%, 23% and large in 23%, 10% of the patients in each group respectively with no significant difference in between group (p=0.11). The discrepancies of horizontal hip center of rotation (△HHCR) and the vertical hip center of rotation (△VHCR) compared to the contralateral side was similar in both groups (p=0.95, p= 0.11, respectively), which enabled to make a direct comparison of the femoral reconstruction. Compared to the contralateral side, discrepancies of limb length (△LLD) showed a borderline significant difference between two groups (avr.+0.7mm, +2.5mm respectively, p=0.04) with higher values for group of 135° CCD angle (more than 5mm of LLD in 27%). However, in group of 120° CCD angle, the discrepancies of horizontal femoral offset (△HFO) and abductor lever arm (△AbLA) (avr. +5.9 mm, +4.9mm respectively) revealed significantly increased compared with balanced value of group 135° CCD angle (+0.9mm, p <0.0001, +1.3mm, p=0.02, respectively) and about half of patients in group of 120° CCD angle revealed outside the 5mm difference target in either horizontal femoral offset (53% of patient) and abductor lever arm (50% of patient). Conclusion. With decreasing CCD-angle of short stem, restoration of limb length appears more predictable but, horizontal femoral offset and abductor lever arm increased with outside of a beneficial range. This tendency should be taken into consideration when choice the design of this kind of neck-preserving short stem as well as exact implantation technique


The Bone & Joint Journal
Vol. 98-B, Issue 2 | Pages 282 - 288
1 Feb 2016
Putz C Döderlein L Mertens EM Wolf SI Gantz S Braatz F Dreher T

Aims

Single-event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) has been used as an effective intervention in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) for 30 years. To date there is no evidence for SEMLS in adults with BSCP and the intervention remains focus of debate.

Methods

This study analysed the short-term outcome (mean 1.7 years, standard deviation 0.9) of 97 ambulatory adults with BSCP who performed three-dimensional gait analysis before and after SEMLS at one institution.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 91-B, Issue 10 | Pages 1394 - 1399
1 Oct 2009
Oh C Song H Kim J Choi J Min W Park B

Ten patients, who were unsuitable for limb lengthening over an intramedullary nail, underwent lengthening with a submuscular locking plate. Their mean age at operation was 18.5 years (11 to 40). After fixing a locking plate submuscularly on the proximal segment, an external fixator was applied to lengthen the bone after corticotomy. Lengthening was at 1 mm/day and on reaching the target length, three or four screws were placed in the plate in the distal segment and the external fixator was removed. All patients achieved the pre-operative target length at a mean of 4.0 cm (3.2 to 5.5). The mean duration of external fixation was 61.6 days (45 to 113) and the mean external fixation index was 15.1 days/cm (13.2 to 20.5), which was less than one-third of the mean healing index (48 days/cm (41.3 to 55). There were only minor complications.

Lengthening with a submuscular locking plate can successfully permit early removal of the fixator with fewer complications and is a useful alternative in children or when nailing is difficult.