Lengthening And Then Nailing

A new technique, lengthening and then nailing (LATN), is effective in correcting leg length discrepancy (LLD) for a variety of conditions. The LATN technique uses monolateral frames for the distraction phase. Pins and wires are placed to allow subsequent intramedullary nailing. At the end of the distraction phase, reamed large-diameter, full-length, statically locked intramedullary nails are inserted and the frames are removed. Contact between external fixation pins and wires and internal fixation must be carefully avoided.

This method minimizes the treatment time in the external fixator, limited to the time required to obtain the lengthening desired without having to wear the external device during the hardening or consolidation phase. This method also reduces the rehabilitation time, time to return to full weightbearing activities.