Height Increase Hospital

16 of 16 procedures

Limb lengthening

• Stature lengthening (leg lengthening)

  Stature lengthening uses distraction osteogenesis: the bone is cut and then separated roughly 1 mm a day so new bone forms in the gap. It can be done on the tibia or the femur, typically 6-7 cm per round, with 5-7 months before a full return to normal life.

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• Arm lengthening (humerus)

  Humerus lengthening is used both for arm-length discrepancy and for cosmetic proportion. The conventional route uses a mono-fixator, which allows 8-10 cm and lets patients use the arm for daily tasks. The institute now favours the internal PRECICE nail: smaller scars, less pain and no pin-site infection.

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• Leg length discrepancy

  Leg length discrepancy can follow childhood growth-plate injury, infection, bone tumour, congenital conditions or previous bone surgery. Treatment lengthens the short side to match, correcting any accompanying angular or rotational deformity in the same plan so alignment and gait rebalance together.

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• Leg lengthening with deformity correction

  Many stature-lengthening patients also have bowlegs, knock-knees or torsion. The institute plans lengthening and realignment together, so height and straight alignment are achieved in one treatment rather than a second operation later.

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• Brachydactyly & brachymetatarsia

  Brachydactyly most often affects the metacarpals (especially the 2nd and 5th) and metatarsals (especially the 1st and 4th). Causes include childhood growth-plate damage from infection or tumour, genetic disorders, and — most commonly — no identifiable cause. Except in severe cases it does not impair function, so surgery is usually cosmetic.

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Lengthening methods

• LON (Lengthening Over Nail)

  In LON an intramedullary nail is inserted together with an external fixator at the first operation. Once the target length is reached, a second operation locks the nail and removes the external frame — cutting external-fixation time to roughly half that of classic Ilizarov.

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• PRECICE / STRYDE internal lengthening nail

  PRECICE (Nuvasive, USA) is a fully implantable, magnetically driven lengthening nail — no external fixator at all. STRYDE works on the same mechanism but is designed to allow far more weight-bearing. Dr. Donghoon Lee was the first surgeon in Asia to perform PRECICE lengthening successfully and holds the largest single-surgeon case volume in Asia.

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• LATN (Lengthening And Then Nailing)

  In LATN only the external fixator is applied at the first operation; after lengthening, a second operation inserts the nail and removes the frame. Compared with LON, bone forms faster and leg alignment can be corrected more precisely. Dr. Donghoon Lee was the first in Korea to perform LATN successfully, in 2010.

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• External fixation (Ilizarov)

  The Ilizarov method uses an external frame throughout both the lengthening and consolidation phases. Even with LON and LATN available, it remains essential for complex deformity. The institute now pairs it with a computer-assisted correction system (Ortho-SUV, a Stewart platform), correcting multi-plane deformity in a single operation — the largest case volume of its kind in Korea.

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Deformity correction

• Bowleg correction with SADO

  Bowlegs (genu varum) bow outward at the knee, and many patients have both angular and rotational deformity. Correcting the angle alone with a high tibial osteotomy can bring the knees together yet leave the overall alignment looking unnatural. Dr. Donghoon Lee therefore developed SADO — Simultaneous Angular and Derotational Osteotomy — correcting both in one operation.

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• Knock-knee correction (genu valgum)

  Knock-knees (genu valgum) leave the knees touching but the ankles apart when standing. Causes include trauma, childhood rickets, hereditary multiple exostosis and idiopathic cases — more common in women and often linked to body weight. Braces and physiotherapy rarely help, because the deformity is in the bone.

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• Rotational deformity (in-toeing & out-toeing)

  Rotational deformity lies in the rotational plane of the femur or tibia, producing in-toeing or out-toeing gait. It is often missed because plain radiographs do not show it. Treatment is a derotational osteotomy, which can be combined with angular correction using the SADO technique.

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• Genu recurvatum (back-knee)

  Genu recurvatum is hyperextension of the knee on standing: the leg looks deformed in profile and knee loading rises over time. Causes include growth-plate injury, ligamentous laxity and post-traumatic bone deformity. Treatment realigns the bone in the sagittal plane.

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• Osteotomy for knee arthritis

  When medial knee arthritis follows bowleg alignment, an osteotomy shifts load from the worn compartment to the healthier one, easing pain and deferring knee replacement. It suits younger patients whose joint still has usable cartilage.

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• Complex & post-traumatic deformity

  Complex deformity combines angular, rotational and length problems at once, typically after trauma, bone infection or an incomplete previous operation. The institute uses the Ortho-SUV computer system with an external frame to correct multiple planes simultaneously and precisely.

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Re-operation

• Re-operation centre

  The re-operation centre treats patients whose previous lengthening or realignment ran into trouble: nonunion, post-operative malalignment, infection, hardware failure or residual length difference. Each case is re-planned from scratch using prior imaging and the current state of the bone.

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• How many centimetres can be gained?▾

  Typically 5-8 cm per segment per operation, depending on anatomy and soft-tissue flexibility.

  HeightDr. Donghoon Limb Lengthening Institute (DALRI)→
• How much deposit is required and in which currency?▾

  Korean hospitals quote in won, so payment is usually a won transfer or settled on admission. Deposit rules and final-payment timing change over time, so confirm with the international patient desk before booking flights, and allow about 3–5% for exchange-rate movement.

  HeightHeight surgery cost in Korea 2026: full price breakdown→
• Can I pay in instalments or use insurance?▾

  Cosmetic stature lengthening is not covered by standard Thai or Korean health insurance. Payment terms and deposits change over time, so confirm them directly with the hospital's international patient desk.

  HeightHeight surgery cost in Korea 2026: full price breakdown→
• How many centimetres does that price buy?▾

  The price is per segment and covers lengthening up to that segment's safe limit, typically about 5–6.5 cm. Going beyond that requires lengthening a second segment after full recovery, billed as a separate case.

  HeightHeight surgery cost in Korea 2026: full price breakdown→
• Why is PRECICE nearly twice the price of LON?▾

  PRECICE uses FDA-cleared imported internal nails, two per case, while LON relies on a far cheaper external frame — at the cost of a second operation to remove it and permanent pin scars.

  HeightHeight surgery cost in Korea 2026: full price breakdown→
• Is there an extra charge if I also have bow legs or knock knees?▾

  Deformity is corrected within the feasible range. If it lies in the segment already being lengthened there is usually no extra cost, but correcting the femur while lengthening the tibia does add cost depending on site and type.

  HeightHeight surgery cost in Korea 2026: full price breakdown→

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