[Growing prostheses after sarcoma resection in children and adolescents]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Surgical Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Growing prostheses are a valuable alternative to amputation and rotationplasty for treating childhood bone and soft-tissue sarcomas.
• Technological advancements have led to improved invasive and non-invasive extendable prosthesis designs over the past three decades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current literature on growing prostheses for pediatric sarcomas.
• To evaluate the efficacy and complication rates of these devices.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 21 peer-reviewed publications.
• Analysis of data from 590 patients fitted with growing prostheses.
• Assessment of functional outcomes and complication rates.

Main Results:

• Satisfactory functional results were reported (78.3/100 MSTS points).
• High complication rates were observed: 27.3% infections and 22.4% mechanical failures.
• Infection risk increases with longer follow-up periods.

Conclusions:

• Growing prostheses provide a limb-sparing option for pediatric sarcomas.
• The significant risk of complications, especially infections, is a major drawback.
• Informed consent discussions with patients and parents are crucial regarding these risks.