title: [Bone lengthening by distraction of the metacarpal or phalanx in children].
abstract: We report the results of bone lengthening using progressive distraction performed for congenital hand deformities in 12 children between 1998 and 2004. The series is retrospective. Patients were aged between 2 and 11 years. The distraction site was metacarpal in 9 cases and phalangeal in 3 cases. The Mondéal micro distraction device was used. The lengthening procedure was a callotasis with a 0.25 to 0.5 mm/day distraction pace in all cases. The final mean lengthening was 16 mm, and the mean treatment duration was 107 days. The complication rate was 33%. The distraction procedure is described in detail. It is feasible in very young patients as a micro distraction device is used. Family education may prevent complications. This therapeutic procedure gave functional improvement without impairment of distal sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie plastique infantile, hôpital de la Timone-Enfants, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille 05, France. davidvalenti@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salazard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Legré
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magalon
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D050278:Finger Phalanges / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050279:Metacarpal Bones / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction / Q000295:instrumentation; D012189:Retrospective Studies