Some questions about pure externals

Edit Post

Hi, Couple of questions about the pure external method.

1. How long do you typically have to wear the frames for for 5cm?

2. At the point the frames have been removed, do you then go through a consolidation process as you would with LON/LATN?

3. Are the frames fully weight bareing?

4. What are risk of fat or pulmonary embolism compared with internals and LON/LATN?

Thanks!

Edit Post

Thanks a lot, that clears it up!

The main reason I was considering pure externals was because of the knee pain associated with LON. Have you experienced anything like this?

Edit Post

Yeah, this is definitely my main concern with tibial lengthening, though then I'm also worried about the higher incidence with embolism with femurs, and I think tibia lengthening would look a lot more aesthetic as well; I'd worry that if I lengthened say, 6 cm with femurs, my proportions would look a bit weird. Thanks

Edit Post

Thanks for the reply.

QuoteFor 5cm you would wear external fixators for less than 8 months.

How long do you think for 6cm? I'm just over 5'8.5, and from what I've read, 6cm tibias is possible if you're a bit taller to begin with. So I was considering that about.

QuoteIts not a good decision to do Lon/Latn for these amounts because it is a much more invasive procedure

Other than the second surgery to remove the nails, why else do you think LON/LATN is a bad option? Are the risks of fat/pulmonary embolism higher? Or is it the stuff about the risk of knee pain?