Distraction Osteogenesis - Possible Uses of Distraction Osteogenesis

Possible Uses of Distraction Osteogenesis

Although distraction osteogenesis is most often used in the treatment of post-traumatic injuries, it is increasingly used to correct limb discrepancies caused by congenital conditions and old injuries. A list of the possible uses of distraction osteogenesis are as follows:

• Congenital deformities (birth defects):
  • Congenital short femur;
  • Fibular hemimelia (absence of the fibula, which is one of the two bones between the knee and the ankle);
  • Hemiatrophy (atrophy of half of the body); and
  • Ollier's disease.
• Developmental deformities
  • Neurofibromatosis (a rare condition which causes overgrowth in one leg); and
  • Bow legs, resulting from rickets or secondary arthritis.
• Post-traumatic injuries
  • Growth plates fractures;
  • Malunion or non-union (when bones do not completely join, or join in a faulty position after a fracture);
  • Shortening and deformity; and
  • Bone defects.
• Infections and diseases
  • Osteomyelitis (a bone infection, usually caused by bacteria);
  • Septic arthritis (infections or bacterial arthritis); and
  • Poliomyelitis (a viral disease which may result in the atrophy of muscles, causing permanent deformity).
• After tumors
• Short stature
  • Achondroplasia (a form of dwarfism where arms and legs are very short, but torso is more normal in size); and
  • Constitutional short stature.