Longitudinal growth from the proximal femoral growth centers in the rabbit

We selectively ablated the proximal growth centers of the femur in 3-week-old white New Zealand rabbits to study the contribution of each physis to bone length. The results were compared with the normal growth pattern determined in our previously published study. Growth in 10 femora with ablated greater trochanteric apophyses was normal as was the rate of growth for the 11 femora in which the proximal physis and femoral head were excised. Following femoral head excision, growth of 10 greater trochanteric apophyses, transferred in situ with muscular pedicle, was delayed initially, then increased at a rate very different from the control trochanteric growth. On the basis of this animal study, we support substitution of the greater trochanteric apophysis for an injured femoral neck physis to provide growth in the length of the femur.