Postoperative management during limb lengthening

The postoperative management of a patient having his or her limb lengthened requires frequent contact and close monitoring by the surgeon. Deformities and contractures cannot be allowed to persist or progress. The patient must be encouraged to bear weight on the lengthening limb, lest the newly formed bone fail to mature and corticalize properly. Pin- or wire-site sepsis should be treated aggressively; osteolysis around an implant suggests that additional transosseous fixation is needed. By following the principles outlined here, a surgeon will have the gratifying experience of elongating a stunted or deformed limb to an amount never before thought possible, and without undue problems or residual complications.