Dr Franz Birkholtz (Pretoria, South Africa)

Note: please refer to our disclaimer about The Doctors Directory http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=55.0

Updated Response from Dr Franz Birkholtz

:  We do perform cosmetic lengthenings in highly selective cases and LON is one of the techniques we employ. 5cm can be achieved in the tibias in a single procedure, but it is important to note that this is risky surgery and that one can end up with bilateral amputations as a result.

Our rough selection criteria of 165 cm in males as the upper limit. There are cases where, after thorough evaluation, it may be appropriate to perform CLL. This should not be seen as the norm and is definitely not a topic for open discussion.

Methods and Cost of Treatment

Externals (new frames): $30,000 USD approx.
LON/LATN:                   $35,000 USD approx.
Internals (PRECICE):      $52,000 USD approx.

*Dr Birkholtz's lengthening limit is 5 cm for tibias and 6 cm for femurs.

Cost Includes

- All professional fees for surgeon, anesthetist, physio, psychologist, occupational therapist.
- High care unit for 1 day.
- Normal hospital ward for 5 days.
- All followup visits, erc sessions and woundcare visits.
- Daily physio for 75 days.
- Doctor contact at least twice a week.
- Support by a multi disciplinary team experienced in limb reconstruction.
- Accommodation in a four star rated guesthouse close to hospital on a dinner bed and breakfast basis.
- Includes wifi and satellite tv. Also includes daily transfer to clinic for adjustments.
- The accommodation is for two people. This is a self catering unit.

Our lists are generally booked a couple of weeks in advance, but provided I am not on congress or holiday, we can accommodate most of the year.

Cost Excludes

- Cost excludes potential complications.

Consultation Process

Reference: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=137.msg5302#msg5302

Background

From his website: Dr Franz Birkholtz studied at the University of Pretoria and currently teaches courses in South Africa and abroad. He is practicing in Centurion with rooms in Lifestyle Management Park next to Unitas Hospital.

As of June, 2012 now does limb reconstruction operations bi-monthly at Vincent Pallotti Hospital in Cape Town. Contact the Cape Orthopaedic Trauma Group (Dr Bernstein) on 021 506 5555 to schedule an appointment.

Practice Number: 0280000226599

Contact Details

Dr Franz F Birkholtz
Orthopaedic Surgeon (MBChB(Pret) MMed(Orth)(Pret) FCOrth(SA))

Telephone: +27(0)12 644 2641
Fax: +27(0)12 644 2642
Website Url: www.walkamile.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Personal email: [email protected]


Postal address:
PO Box 11328
Centurion,
0046
Republic of South Africa

Practice address:
Suite 8C
Lifestyle Management Building
Unit 4
223 Clifton Ave
Lyttelton
Pretoria
South Africa

Africa?!

I am simply not that brave.

Why this doctor mentioned the risk of losing the limb? i've never read something like this related with LL... it sounds a bit disquieting!

Quote from: alexx99xx on November 15, 2013, 09:15:06 AMWhy this doctor mentioned the risk of losing the limb? i've never read something like this related with LL... it sounds a bit disquieting!

Bc it's Africa. Nobody has any idea of what they're doing.

What sane person goes to Africa?

Quote from: Sweden on November 15, 2013, 02:50:01 PMBc it's Africa. Nobody has any idea of what they're doing.

What sane person goes to Africa?

Haha, Jesus Christ.  I'd rather do LL myself than go Africa, maybe that's prejudice, I dunno.  But my balls are not that big no matter how cheap, when you also factor in the fact that it is more expensive than lots more options I literally could see no reason to go there, ever.

It is a scary, scary country.

That said I bet there are people in Somalia who would do the surgery for <$100.  Good luck surviving a week post op though.

Quote from: alexx99xx on November 15, 2013, 09:15:06 AMWhy this doctor mentioned the risk of losing the limb? i've never read something like this related with LL... it sounds a bit disquieting!

Some doctors like to give you the worst case scenario just to see if you're really sure you want to go through with the procedure, and are more conservative than other docs (as you see Dr. Birkholtz doesn't perform cosmetic lengthening on males over a certain height).

Also South Africa isn't even close to Somalia in terms of danger levels. It's one of the safer regions of Africa, but of course people there for tourism would want to take precautions that you wouldn't have to in other countries.  Still, not really fair to knock a doctor purely based on practice location, considering there are doctors in more developed countries that have shady business practices and manage to cripple people.

Yeah, South Africa is one of the more developed countries in Africa if I'm not mistaken, and it's a HUGE continent. Of course, I would never go there myself for something like this. But judging it straight away simply because of the continent it's on is a bit like saying you shouldn't do LL in China or South Korea because it's on the same continent as and right next to North Korea

I dunno guys Africa is pretty lethal in all areas.

It took me a while to come around tot he idea of China and India, but Africa is whole next level.

All of the countries in Africa are a total mess, even South Africa.

My local G.P. hires white doctors from South Africa. I've met 3 of them so far and I always confuse them for being German or Dutch because they have these Australianised Dutch or German accents. Seem like nice people, though, whether the doctor was white or black, I still wouldn't travel to South Africa for surgery.

South Africa is rife with crime, I remember looking at a video of a black guy doing a carjacking and it was like a scene Grand Theft Auto because it happened in the middle of traffic. Apparently, carjackings are very common down there.