Elongating intramedullary rods in the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta

• Published in: Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume Vol. 59; no. 4; pp. 467 - 472
• Main Authors: Marafioti, RL, Westin, GW
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Copyright by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated 01-06-1977
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bone Development; Bone Nails; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary; Humans; Locomotion; Male; Osteogenesis Imperfecta - physiopathology; Osteogenesis Imperfecta - surgery
• ISSN: 0021-9355; 1535-1386
• DOI: 10.2106/00004623-197759040-00006

Patients with osteogenesis imperfecta who have undergone multiple osteotomies with realignment and intramedullary rod fixation of a deformed bone frequently require replacement of the rod because the bone grows and angulates when the rod no longer is long enough to support the bone from metaphysis to metaphysis. The Bailey-Dubow intramedullary rod, which elongates with growth, is an attempt to solve this problem. This is a review of 153 rod-fixations in seventy-two bones (twenty patients), forty-seven being Bailey-Dubow rods. Use of the elongating rod effectively increased the average length of time between replacement operations, yielded a lower removal rate, and showed no additional adverse effects. The Bailey-Dubow rod represents a measurable improvement over non-elongating rods.