title: Demography and function of children with limb loss.
abstract: This retrospective study was designed for the period 1982-2002 to collect the basic data on the demography, level and side of the amputation, involved limbs, age, gender, and prosthetic functional level in children with limb loss. A total of 232 children were assessed through their prosthetic records. Seventy-two percent (195 children) presented lower-limb involvement, and 28% (77 children) had upper-limb loss. The age of the children varied between 1 and 15 years with a mean age of 9.90 +/- 2.32 years. Results of the study revealed that the leading amputation cause in children was congenital limb absence. The most frequent levels were determined as trans-tibial and trans-radial in lower and upper limbs, respectively. Findings showed that more boys (60%) were affected, and 84% of all amputations were found to be unilateral. It was also seen that right-side amputations (54%) were more common than left-side amputations (46%). The outcome of the study showed that 96% of children with lower-limb loss reached a functional gait pattern without any aids, while the percentage of independence in activities of daily living was found to be 88% in upper-limb loss.
authors.affiliation: Prosthetics and Biomechanics Department, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. kezbanyigiter@yahoo.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yigiter
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ulger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sener
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akdogan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Erbahçeci
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bayar
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001132:Arm; D001186:Artificial Limbs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007866:Leg; D017880:Limb Deformities, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology