title: Use of allograft in skeletally immature patients for calcaneal neck lengthening osteotomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To date, there have been no studies evaluating the usefulness of allograft as a substitute for autograft in calcaneal neck lengthening osteotomy. This retrospective study examined the results of calcaneal neck lengthening osteotomy using allograft for pathologic flatfoot deformity in children and adolescents with various neuromuscular diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  118 feet in 79 children treated surgically between Mar 2000 and July 2005 were reviewed. The mean age at the time of the operation was 9+3 years (range, 3-17 years) and follow-up averaged 15.4 months (range, 13-21 months) postoperatively. Talo-1st metatarsal angle, talo-calcaneal angle, calcaneal pitch were measured before and after operation and bony union was estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bony union was noted at the latest follow-up and there were no postoperative complications such as reduction loss, infection, nonunion, delayed union or graft loss during the follow-up period in all but one foot. All radiographic indices were improved postoperatively in all cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that use of allograft in calcaneal neck lengthening osteotomy is a useful option for correction of the planovalgus deformity in skeletally immature patients whose enough autobone can not be obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 250 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Hae
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: Kun Bo
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hui Wan
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001852:Bone Lengthening; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010027:Osteotomy; D011859:Radiography; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous