Femoral lengthening, 10 cm gained
A paediatric congenital condition case at the Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI), Korea, 10 cm of bone lengthened, with 6 before and after radiographs.
- Category
- Paediatric congenital condition
- Gained
- 10 cm
- Height
- —
- Follow-up
- —
Drag the handle to compare before and after (arrow keys work too). Before and after paediatric congenital condition, case 8339995, image 2, Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI)
About this case
This patient was treated in the congenital & paediatric conditions group (paediatric congenital condition) at the Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI) in Seoul.
The record states 10 cm of lengthening but no before/after height, so only the verified figure is shown.
The series on this page contains 6 images, in the order the hospital published them.
Technique and segment
The source record does not name the technique used here. The choice between an external frame, an internal nail, or a hybrid depends on the segment, the target length, and each patient's soft-tissue condition.
The femur is wrapped in well-vascularised muscle, so the new bone usually consolidates faster than in the tibia and tolerates a larger gain per segment, at the cost of watching for knee stiffness and quadriceps weakness.
Timeline and how to read the radiographs
At the standard rate of about 0.75 mm per day, the 10 cm gained here corresponds to roughly 133 days of distraction — about 4 months — before the consolidation phase begins.
The source record does not state the follow-up month. Lengthened bone typically consolidates fully around 12-18 months after surgery.
Daily physiotherapy through the distraction phase is the single strongest predictor of the result: patients who stop stretching run into joint stiffness far more often than into problems with the bone itself.
All images are published by the Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI) and shown with permission. Individual results vary; these cases are not a guarantee of outcome.
