Dr Alexander Barinov (Volgograd, Russia) 2015 Update

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General information and response from Centre of Anthropometrical Cosmetology (Orthopedical) Cosmetology and Correction.
Note: Previous Discussion Thread Linked Here http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=92.0


Surgical Overview
We practice LON surgery alongside with Ilizarov in our clinic. It means that during the surgery you'll have both nails in your bones and Ilizarov device to give your body more support. It's necessary, as our patients don't use a wheelchair and start walking the next day after the surgery. Walking and exercising are very important for better healing.

Growing 5-7 cm takes about 3 months. If a person wants to grow more, it will take longer time. The advantage of LON method is that after the Ilizarov frames are removed, the person can go back to his country without waiting till his bones heal completely. The nails may stay in the bones for a year and be removed in the person's native country.

Growing 5-7 cm is considered physiological and usually doesn't cause any complications. If the person wants to grow more, the most widely spread complication is a ballerina foot due to a contracture in the Achilles tendon. To avoid this, the person should start stretching before the surgery and follow all the doctor's instructions.

There are some contraindications for the surgery and they are chronic and acute cardio-vascular problems, infections, diabetes, depression, calcium deficit.

Cost
The package price of LON surgery is 14,500 euro for a month's stay in hospital including physio, medicines, accommodation and meals. Each additional month costs 1,000 euro. But I must say that from July 1 till September 30 you may have a discount of 2,000 euro, that is 12,500 euro for a month. The price of nails is not included, they cost 2,500 euros and they are ordered separately in each case.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
1) How many patients have you operated for cosmetic Limb Lengthening so far and how many patients do you operate yearly?
-We've operated over 200 patients only for LL so far. Our clinic is not large and we can't accept more than 10 LL patients a year. The operating surgeon is Dr. Barinov.

2) What kind of physical therapy is assigned to the patient?
-The patient does physiotherapy while his staying in hospital, these are special exercises which help flexibility of joints.

3) What maximum amount of lengthening do you recommend per segment, regarding patient safety? What is the daily rate of lengthening?
-Surgeons worldwide recommend to grow 5-7 cm, which is considered physiological. On an average patients grow 0.75 - 1 mm a day. Growing 8-9 cm requires up to 9-10 months of treatment. I must say that the process of growing is very individual, some patients stop at 3-4 cm, others grow 9 cm and it's impossible to predict how the body will react to growing.

4) What are your opinions regarding the weightbearing of the patients?
-Some walk with crutches up to the day the frames are removed, and others start walking without crutches 2 months after the surgery. 

5) How often will you follow up with patients during lengthening?
-The doctors sees the patients almost every day and X-ray is done every month to see regeneration of the bones

6) How fast can patients return to normal life (walking without support)? What is the time required to lengthen 5 cm and 7.5-8 cm?
-From my experience I can say that those who have well-trained strong muscles grow harder, their muscles are very rigid. That's why we recommend our patients to stop running and start stretching exercises before doing the surgery.

Contact
Phones: +7 8442 38 39 27 (call from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (GMT +03:00))
Skype name: volga-volga6
E-mail : [email protected]   
Website: rucosm.com

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She said they do LON alongside externals at the clinic, so I'm guessing for locals they still do externals. I'm not sure what the exact situation is, but apparently someone mentioned that the clinic doesn't offer externals for international patients anymore because of some new rules at customs. Perhaps you're not allowed to have frames at the airport there anymore? I'll get a clarification from the clinic.

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I received a reply back from the client manager, Irene.

"Because of new migration rules, Dr Barinov does LON for international patients. It's possible to do external but the person can stay in Russia only for 6 months. In this case after 6 months, the person can go to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic and have the frames removed there though it causes more expenses for the person."