Tibial lengthening, 5.7 cm gained
A cll + deformity correction case at the Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI), Korea, 5.7 cm of bone lengthened (PRECICE), with 8 before and after radiographs.
- Category
- CLL + deformity correction
- Gained
- 5.7 cm
- Height
- —
- Follow-up
- —
Drag the handle to compare before and after (arrow keys work too). Before and after cll + deformity correction, case 9180907, image 2, Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI)
About this case
A 40-year-old patient was treated in the height increase (limb lengthening) group (cll + deformity correction) at the Dr. Donghoon institute (DALRI) in Seoul.
The record states 5.7 cm of lengthening but no before/after height, so only the verified figure is shown.
The series on this page contains 8 images, in the order the hospital published them.
Technique and segment
PRECICE is a fully internal magnetically driven nail: there are no pin sites to care for, which means less pain and a faster return to daily life, but it carries limits on body weight and on the maximum length per segment.
Tibial lengthening runs through the calf and Achilles complex, which tightens quickly, so physiotherapy during distraction focuses on ankle range; the safe gain per segment is usually smaller than in the femur.
Timeline and how to read the radiographs
At the standard rate of about 0.75 mm per day, the 5.7 cm gained here corresponds to roughly 76 days of distraction — about 3 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.
