[Electrophysical surveillance in limb lengthening in 25 children and adolescents].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate neurological tolerance during limb lengthening in children and adolescents.


METHODS
Retrospective study of 25 children and adolescents [15 girls, 10 boys; mean age 11.3 years, range 5-18 years] undergoing limb lengthening. Limbs involved were the femur [11 cases], tibia [10 cases], radius [3 cases] and humerus [1 case], and lengthening was 1 mm/day, adjusted depending on clinically and electrophysically observed alterations during weekly surveillance.


RESULTS
Lengthening in 8 cases was accompanied by electrophysiological deterioration and in 1 by clinical alteration without electrophysiological anomaly. Eight of 25 lengthenings had to be slowed and 1 discontinued.


CONCLUSIONS
This work confirms poor neurological tolerance with limb lengthening. It shows the interest of clinical and electrophysiological monitoring in preventing severe neurological accidents with such lengthening.
Malliopoulos
X
X
Centre de rééducation fonctionnelle Marc-Sautelet, 64, rue de la Liberté, 59650 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France. xavier.malliopoulos@laposte.net
Maisonneuve
B
B
Fron
D
D
Herbaux
B
B
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction; D012189:Retrospective Studies