Femoral Lengthening by Ilizarov Technique: Results and Complications

ABSTRACT

Femoral lengthening using Ilizarov technique was performed in ten patients comprising of 6 females and 4 males in an age group of 10-19 years with an average shortening of 6.8 cms. The etiology of shortening was post-infective in 8 patients and post-traumatic in two patients. The desired length was achieved in six patients and in four patients the final limb length discrepancy ranged between 1 to 3 cms. The total duration of external fixation ranged from 24 weeks to 90 weeks with an average healing index of 6.23 weeks/cm. There were 10 problems and 2 true complications. Temporary decrease in knee range of motion was a common difficulty encountered during lengthening. Results were rated as excellent in five, good in two, fair in two and poor in one patient. Key words Ilizarov Technique, Femoral lengthening Introduction The