Patient Satisfaction After Limb Lengthening With Internal and External Devices.

External fixation has long been used for limb lengthening but can result in many complications, such as tethering of the soft tissues, pain, decreased joint motion, scarring, and nerve injury. Recently, a controllable, telescopic, internal lengthening nail was developed to address many of these issues and hopefully improve the overall experience for the patient. The satisfaction rates of internal and external fixation for limb lengthening were compared in 16 patients, all of whom have experienced both methods. Thirteen out of 16 patients responded to a limb-lengthening questionnaire, developed by the authors for this patient population. Patients preferred the internal device with respect to overall satisfaction, reduced pain, ease of physical therapy, and better cosmetic appearance. When asked which device they would prefer if another surgery was required, all patients chose the internal device. From the patients' perspective, the internal lengthening device is an improvement over the traditional external fixator.

Scapular dislocation from trivial trauma: a rare case.

Dislocation of the scapula between the ribs and into the thoracic cage is a very rare event. Scapulothoracic dissociation though has been reported, usually occurs after a severe injury and is often associated with other serious injuries like brachial plexus or chest injury, etc. Ainscow has described a rare type that may occur due to slight violence with a pre-existing condition. Cases of isolated scapular dislocation after minor trauma have not been reported frequently in the literature. It is a distinct clinical entity and needs to be differentiated from other similar conditions. Here, we present a case of painless scapular dislocation associated with trivial trauma followed by spontaneous reduction in a 10 years old girl. The patient had a recurrence of the dislocation before presenting to us. But she did not have any pre-existing condition for scapular dislocation.