title: Pre-operative distraction lengthening for radial longitudinal deficiency.
abstract: Patients treated for total radial aplasia have been reviewed. It was possible to re-align the carpus by radialization in five out of six limbs treated with pre-operative distraction, but in only one out of six treated without distraction. The average improvement in radial angulation in the non-distraction group was 19 degrees and in the distraction group 38 degrees. The average improvement in radial translation was 16 mm and 17 mm in the two groups respectively. Pre-operative distraction with the Kessler device permits re-alignment of the hand without skeletal resection or excessive tension on the radial neurovascular structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nanchahal
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tonkin
mesh_terms: D001852:Bone Lengthening / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006228:Hand Deformities, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011884:Radius / Q000002:abnormalities*