Madelung deformity: Clinical features, therapy and results

In a retrospective study, 31 patients with Madelung deformity were reviewed . They were treated at one institution during a period of 15 years. On firs t presentation, the mean age was 22.5 years with a range from 10 years to 6 4 years. Twenty-four patients (77%) were female. The main complaints were p ain, limited range of motion, and objectionable appearance. A family histor y of Madelung deformity was present in four patients (13%). The diagnosis o f Leri-Weill syndrome could not be confirmed in any case. There was no corr elation between the clinical appearance and the extent of radiologic abnorm ality. Five patients (16%) were operated on because of permanent pain. On p ostoperative examination, only one patient revealed no restricted range of mobility and no pain, whereas the other four patients improved in terms of pain but showed only limited improvement of function. The vast majority of patients, however, required no surgical therapy.