Retrograde magnetic internal lengthening nail for acute femoral deformity correction and limb lengthening

Abstract

The Precice magnetic internal lengthening intramedullary nail is being used with great success in femur lengthening and deformity correction with a retrograde approach. Areas Covered: Our personal history of limb lengthening and the Precice nail will be reviewed. Several technical aspects are discussed including design updates, pre operative planning, selection of nail length, the use of blocking screws and intra operative temporary external fixation, osteotomy practice, post operative management, and cost analysis. Expert Commentary: The phenomenal bone healing ability for the retrograde Precice nail after femoral osteotomy for lengthening, even after acute deformity correction, is recognized throughout the growing body of scientific publications on this topic. The few failures that have occurred appear to be attributable to excessive loading of the femur and implant during a vulnerable time of bone healing. Further studies with more uniform outcome criteria need to be conducted to better standardize user's experiences. The higher one time cost of the implant is offset by the reduced number of surgeries needed when compared with the gold standard of lengthening-over-nail-technique, and we suspect that patients return to work sooner due to the ability to wear normal clothing and the reduction in pain throughout the entire lengthening process.

Keywords: Precice; femur; intramedullary lengthening nail; limb deformity; limb lengthening; retrograde.