Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2022 | External Fixator | Research
Bifocal femoral lengthening assisted by preoperative 3-dimensional design in the restoration of posttraumatic limb length discrepancy
Published in: BMC Surgery | Issue 1/2022
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Background
To assess the clinical outcomes of preoperative three-dimensional planning followed by bifocal femoral lengthening in the treatment of posttraumatic limb length discrepancy (LLD).
Methods
A total of 8 eligible patients with posttraumatic femoral LLD > 6 cm were admitted to our institution from January 2015 to January 2018 and treated by bifocal femoral lengthening with the assistance of 3-dimensional imaging technology. The following data were collected: detailed demographic information, the amount of lengthening, external fixation time (EFT), external fixation index (EFI), postoperative bone and functional outcomes, and complications in the follow-up period.
Results
All included patients were successfully followed up for in an average of 55.4 ± 6.7 months after removal of the external fixator. There were six males and two females with an average age of 38.4 ± 12.2 years. The mean preoperative LLD was 69.2 ± 6.2 mm. The mean lengthening amount was 67.5 ± 6.9 mm. The mean EFT was 180.1 ± 20.2 days. The EFI was 26.73 ± 1.36 days/cm on average. All patients achieved satisfactory postoperative bone and functional outcomes. No major complications such as nerve or vascular injury were observed.
Conclusions
Bifocal femoral lengthening with preoperative three-dimensional design provided precise surgical guidance and resulted in satisfactory postoperative outcomes, demonstrating that it is an effective treatment for posttraumatic femoral LLD.