Surely at some point you have heard about bone elongation. It consists of producing a controlled fracture in the bone and by means of mechanical devices (external fixators or endumedullary nails) to produce a new bone.
A bone can be elongated up to 8-10 cm.
There are cases where we can exesis the diseased bone and restore the length again. For example in serious accidents or diabetes with risk of foot amputation, among others.
However, it is important to know when it is possible to apply bone elongation and for what type of problems it can be useful. Some of the most frequent cases are:
- Achondroplasia
- Low essential sizes
- Limb length differences of more than 3 cm due to congenital diseases or accidents.
Dr. Laura Soria reminds us that this is a complex procedure and each case must be evaluated individually. All children 7 years of age and older who present any of the above pathologies may be candidates for lengthening.
However, we should not forget that the growth rate in children is greater than in adults. The exceptions are:
- Bone that has been infected, it must be previously verified that it is free of infection in order to perform lengthening.
- Metabolic diseases or bone dysplasias that can be treated medically.
What does the procedure consist of?
Currently there are models of fixators where the lengthening can be guided by computer, which ensures a high level of precision. Another elongation mechanism is magnetic endomedullary pins that are inserted into the bone.
This system is very promising, since the complications of the intervention and aesthetics are very well accepted. As for the recovery process, in the case of the fixators it will depend, to a great extent, on the psychology of the patient, there are children who swim in pools with external fixators and others prefer to wait.
In the case of the endomedullary nail, there is a model called PRECISE that allows to put the foot on the ground from the first day and therefore to carry out absolutely normal life. The latter stands out for the little pain produced by the lengthening, the rate of bone growth is usually 1 mm/day and the scars for its insertion are very small.