Bifocal femoral lengthening assisted by preoperative 3-dimensional design in the restoration of posttraumatic limb length discrepancy

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.

Automated summary

Bifocal femoral lengthening with preoperative three-dimensional planning is an effective treatment for posttraumatic limb length discrepancy, providing precise surgical guidance and yielding satisfactory clinical outcomes without major complications.