Clinical study of a new type of telescopic rod for the treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia in children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the initial efficacy of a new telescopic rod in the treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia (CPT) in children. A new type of telescopic rod for children was designed and its clinical results were evaluated. There were nine cases of CPT on the right and six cases on the left; there were six females and nine males. The average age at operation was 35.5 months. There were 12 cases with neurofibromatosis type 1 and 4 cases with proximal tibial dysplasia. The initial healing of tibial pseudarthrosis, proximal tibial valgus deformity, tibial length, ankle valgus, ankle function, and intramedullary rod displacement were evaluated during follow-up. All 15 cases were followed up for an average of 18.2 months, 14 cases achieved initial healing, with an average healing time of 4.3 months. Ten cases had unequal lengths of the tibia, with an average of 0.9 cm. Proximal tibial valgus occurred in seven cases and ankle valgus occurred in one child. The average range of motion of the ankle joint was 23° and the average plantar flexion was 42°. The average extension of the new telescopic rod was 1.6 cm. The displacement of the telescopic rod occurred in seven cases, there was no epiphyseal plate tethering and re-fracture. The new children’s telescopic rod has a reasonable design and can extend with the growth of tibia. There are no complications of epiphyseal plate tethering and re-fracture. It provides a new choice of intramedullary fixation for the treatment of CPT.