Abstract
Background
In poliomyelitis; hand to knee gait is the sum of quadriceps weakness and fixed knee flexion deformity. Limb shortening is another added problem. Usually, each problem is attacked separately; with variable end results and complication rates for each procedure.
Patients and methods
22 patients (16–46 y.); with poliomyelitis with hand to knee gait due to fixed knee flexion deformity of mild to moderate degree (10–400); and limb shortening of 4.5–9.5 cm., were managed simultaneously by a single operation. A distal femoral metaphyseal anterior closing wedge (recurvatum) corrective osteotomy was done to treat acutely the fixed knee flexion deformity(and subsequently hand to knee gait). A modified Wagner or Orthofix frame was applied as a mono-plane mono-axial lengthening device to stabilize the osteotomy and to lengthen the short limb. Lengthening was started in all cases two weeks post-operatively.
Results
All cases showed full correction of the deformity with elimination of the hand to knee gait problem and all showed the desired limb length equalization. The femora were lengthened to an average of 6.4 cm.(= 21 % of original femoral bone length), range of lengthening was: 4–9 cm. (= 11–26 %). The average healing index was 37 days per centimeter (with a range of 31 to 53 days per centimeter.)
Conclusion
Simultaneous management of hand to knee and limb shortening could be achieved by a single osteotomy which is used to extend the knee acutely and for distraction two weeks later using a mono-lateral frame. Results were good, complications were few and accepted and the procedure is well tolerated by the patients.
