A group of five Gillette experts led by Associate Medical Director of Research and Clinical Outcomes, and Orthopedic Surgeon, Jennifer Laine, MD, recently published an innovative article in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. They created a new treatment for patients who have congenital bowing of the tibia.
The treatment helped correct the growth of patients who have the rare condition. The results were so successful, that it is now a frontline treatment for all patients who come to Gillette with congenital bowing of the tibia. The editor of the journal lauded the procedure and called it a ”A Rare Innovation in Pediatric Orthopaedics.”
From the Journal:
"Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is one such rare pediatric condition, and it is one of the most challenging problems facing pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. In its pre-fracture state, this condition is called congenital tibial dysplasia or anterolateral bowing of the tibia. The goal of treatment at this stage is preventing fracture in the dysplastic, bowed area, because post-fracture union is difficult to achieve and maintain—and because chronic nonunion puts patients at risk for long-term pain, deformity, and disability.
In the December 2, 2020 issue of The Journal, Laine et al. present results of a simple outpatient surgical solution to this problem in 10 pediatric patients who were followed for an average of 5 years. Using a limited-exposure, plate-and-screw approach to control physeal growth, these authors produced correction in tibial alignment in all 10 patients. Most importantly, no patient developed a tibial fracture or pseudarthrosis after the guided-growth procedure, which also improved radiographic appearance of dysplastic bone and preserved leg length. Although 6 of the 10 patients required a plate exchange, the authors’ institution now offers this procedure as first-line treatment to all patients presenting with pre-fracture congenital tibial dysplasia."
Read more in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.