COMPLICATIONS OF BONE LENGTHENING

Bone lengthening is a surgical method which requires meticulous techni que, continuous attention, and satisfactory cooperation on the part of the patient. The absence of common criteria makes it difficult both t o classify the complications which arise, and to compare them with tho se of other authors. We report the complications in a group of 61 pati ents who were studied prospectively. Disorders of the lengthening call us accounted for 45% of all complications, and a further 33% arose in the joints. The remainder occurred in the bone, the apparatus and the soft tissues, of which the most common were stiffness of the joints, a xial deviations and loosening of the pins, while articular subluxation , fractures with angulation and delayed consolidation occurred less fr equently. In our study, the overall number of complications per length ening process was 2.1. In bilateral lengthening, the rate was 1 per se gment, while in unilateral cases the mean was 2.7. Problems which we d efined as severe, requiring that the lengthening had to be halted, occ urred in 1.8% of the total complications. The aetiology of the length discrepancy has an important role in the complications which occur in each segment. Over twice as many problems occur in asymmetrical length ening procedures as in patients where lengthening is symmetrical.