FEMORAL LENGTHENING IN PATIENTS HAVING ABNORMAL IPSILATERAL HIP OR KNEE

Femoral lengthening using the Wagner technique was performed for 13 pa tients with abnormal adjacent joints, An average of 6.3 cm (19.5%) of lengthening was achieved, Three patients had no difficulties during le ngthening. Transient non-surgical problems identified were blood press ure elevation, nerve palsy, and psychiatric reactions, Significant obs tructions or complications occurred 13 times in nine cases, These incl uded contractures of ipsilateral joints, angulations of the lengthened femur, Wagner device slippage, nonunion, and late hip subluxation, Ot her authors have reported similar difficulties in patients with normal ipsilateral joints, In this series, the advantage of achieving greate r length appeared to outweigh the complications.