I'm an Expert Project

In school Amaya had to do an "I'm an Expert Project." She decided to do it on limb lengthening. It came out really well and I'ms o proud of her. I've posted it below for you. 

Here's what her poster board and display looks like. She'll be giving her eight minute presentation Monday.

Limb Lengthening   

Lengthen means,  "make or become longer" 

The History Of Bone Lengthening  

2400 years ago Hippocrates described a form of lengthening that used Egyptian leather. In the 1840's Jean-Francois Malgaigne described using a spike and a claw-like device to treat a fractured tibia. The first successful lengthening was performed in 1905. During the 1930's several people from different countries worked to improve lengthening devices. In 1954 Gavril Ilizarov, a Russian orthopedic surgeon, invented a new lengthening device called the Ilizarov fixator. Later in the 1980's Dr. Frankel brought it to the US. In 1990 Dr. Paley began using the lengthening over nail (LON) procedure. Lengthening has improved greatly and continues to do so. Currently there are three types of lengthening devices used.   

What Is Lengthening Used For? 

Lengthening can be used to help many people with many different conditions. Limb lengthening treats dwarfism, polio, hip deformities or congenital limb defects (including limb length discrepancies). It also treats people who have suffered traumas, broken bones or growth plate injuries. People who are at risk of amputation can also benefit from limb lengthening.  

How Does It Work? 

The lengthening process has four steps. The first is surgery (the leg is cut open, the bone is broken, the lengthening device attached). The second step is the distraction phase. The third step is the consolidation phase. The last step is the removal of the fixator. The process can take up to 6 months to a year.  

Using a lengthening device bone is pulled apart to increase the patient's height. New bone and soft tissue (nerves, muscles, skin, blood vessels, etc.) are grown. Because bones are living substances, when pulled apart new bone is created in the space in between.  

Lengthening is a two part process. The first stage is the distraction phase. This is the lengthening phase. During this phase the bone is pulled apart at a rate of 1mm per day. If it is pulled apart too fast it will fail because new bone may fail to form and it might damage the muscles and/or nerves. If its pulled apart too slow then the bone may harden too soon preventing further lengthening. The most that you can lengthen at one time is 8 cm (3.14 inches). 

The second stage is the consolidation phase. After you’ve met your lengthening goal then you can begin consolidation. The new bone is weak and has a lack of calcium. During the consolidation phase the new bone is allowed to get hard and strong and calcify.  

Different Types Of Lengthening Devices 

What Is A Fixator?  

A fixator is a device providing rigid immobilization through external skeletal fixation by means of rods attached to pins that are placed in or through the bone. There are two types of fixators. 

Internal Fixators 

Internal fixators or intramedullary nails can also be used for lengthening. Currently some orthopedic surgeons use the PRECISE 2, a modification of the original PRECISE which was FDA-approved in 2011. The PRECISE is an internal telescopic rod that is implanted inside the marrow cavity of the bone. The device lengthens similar to the way an antenna extends. An external remote control is used to rotate a magnet inside the nail. This in turn rotates gears which turn a drive screw, which extends the telescopic nail.)  

External Fixators  

External fixators are devices that attach to the bone through wires and pins. The external fixator looks and acts like a scaffolding, supporting the separated bone. The fixator mechanically lengthens the limb by pulling the segments of bone apart. There are two types of external fixators: monolateral (e.g. the Modular Rail System) and circular (e.g. llizarov device and Taylor Spatial frame). 

My Lengthening Journey 

I was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD). That means my left leg was shorter than my right leg. When I was six years old I had my left femur lengthened to match my right femur. My orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Nelson, used an external monolateral fixator for this procedure. After separating my femur into two parts, he attached the fixator to my left femur and tibia to stabilize the bones for growth. I wore the fixator on my left leg for eight months. Every day, for three and a half months, we turned the rod four times a day. This slowly moved my femur bone apart as it grew new bone. Each turn was .25 mm, totaling 1mm of bone growth a day. After lengthening we left the fixator on while the new bone solidified and healed.  

I had to go to physical therapy for an hour a day, 5 days a week, for 11 months. I also had physical therapy homework to do. The therapy helped grow soft tissues (muscles, skin, blood vessels, etc.) to match my bone growth and not damage my knee. I missed a lot of school through this process. I used a wheelchair and a walker for about a year. Lengthening was a painful process. The most painful was the daily pin site cleaning. The pins are the metal bolts that attached the fixator to my leg. They are actually large bolts that were screwed into my bone! It was important to clean them daily to avoid infections in my femur and tibia.  

I'm glad I had the lengthening done because it made my leg better. I grew three inches of new bone by the end of the lengthening! I no longer have to use a shoe lift, which helped with my balance and ability to run. I will have another lengthening done in about two to four years, depending on how my leg grows. My next lengthening will use an internal device called the PRECISE Device. This technology will make the lengthening procedure easier, as the fixator will be inside my bone and not on the outside of my leg.