title: High recurrence after calf lengthening with the Ilizarov apparatus for treatment of spastic equinus foot deformity.
abstract: Both gastrocnemius recession and Achilles tendon lengthening lead to scarring in the calf and have high reported recurrence rates when performed under the age of 8 years. Triceps surae lengthening by external fixation seemed to be a valuable alternative. Twelve calf lengthenings have been performed with an Ilizarov device with a mean correction of 27 degrees. No calcaneal gait was observed, but there was a slow continuous loss of dorsiflexion over the observation period. The Ilizarov technique has a higher recurrence rate than most operative procedures for calf lengthening, but carries virtually no risk in producing calcaneus. The technique cannot be recommended for routine clinical use and may only be an alternative for selected cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. rainer.biedermann@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biedermann
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lair
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wachter
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Donnan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004863:Equinus Deformity / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016267:External Fixators; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018889:Ilizarov Technique; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence