Bone Lengthening in the Pediatric Upper Extremity.
➤Bone lengthening has been used successfully for several congenital and acquired conditions in the pediatric clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, and phalanges.➤Common indications for bone lengthening include achondroplasia, radial longitudinal deficiency, multiple hereditary exostosis, brachymetacarpia, symbrachydactyly, and posttraumatic and postinfectious growth arrest.➤Most authors prefer distraction rates of <1 mm/day for each bone in the upper extremity except the humerus, which can safely be lengthened by 1 mm/day.➤Most authors define success by the amount of radiographic bone lengthening, joint motion after lengthening, and subjective patient satisfaction rather than validated patient-related outcome measures.➤Bone lengthening of the upper extremity is associated with a high complication rate, with complications including pin-track infections, fixation device failure, nerve lesions, nonunion, fracture of regenerate bone, and joint dislocations.
Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Adult Foot and Ankle Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Speising, Vienna, Austria Sebastian.farr@oss.at.
Sebastian
S
Farr
Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Adult Foot and Ankle Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Speising, Vienna, Austria.
Gabriel
G
Mindler
Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Adult Foot and Ankle Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Speising, Vienna, Austria.
Rudolf
R
Ganger
Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Adult Foot and Ankle Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital Speising, Vienna, Austria.
Werner
W
Girsch
D000293:Adolescent; D001852:Bone Lengthening / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D006811:Humerus / Q000601:surgery; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011884:Radius / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014457:Ulna / Q000601:surgery; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000601:surgery*