Femoral lengthening with the Barnes device

Twenty femoral lengthenings were performed with a staged lengthening technique with the Barnes device. After the plate is attached to the femur, the femur is lengthened 2 cm initially and at two or more subsequent stages. Average length gained was 5.4 cm (range 2.5-8.3 cm), and there were no malunions or nonunions. There were two transient peroneal palsies, but no permanent nerve injuries. There were no pin tract problems, no chronic infections, and no knee subluxations. The complication rate with this technique compares favorably with those of other methods.