The Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital has implanted an electric nail for the first time in a bone lengthening operation. The surgical technique has been carried out on a young patient and consists of an intramedullary lengthening system of the extremities, in this case the femur, to correct the size difference between both legs.
To carry out this first bone lengthening with an intramedullary nail, the head of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and the pediatric traumatologist of the Insular-Maternal Children's Hospital Complex of Gran Canaria, Mario Luis Román and Héctor Almeida, respectively, and the orthopedic surgeon and traumatologist of the Sagrat Cor University Hospital of Barcelona, Alejandro Monegal, traveled to Molina Orosa, who, together with the head of the Traumatology Unit of the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital, Irene Jiménez, performed this complex surgery for almost three hours.
Bone lengthening intervention
This surgical technique has been used to correct a discrepancy in the patient's lower limbs and equalize the length between both. To do this, the lengthening nail is inserted inside the bone, while a subcutaneous electrode device is also implanted, which is activated by an external unit to stimulate growth. This technology allows the femur to gradually lengthen at a rate of one millimeter per day until the prescribed length is achieved, which in this case is three centimeters.
According to specialists, bone lengthening with electric nails is an advantageous alternative to other lengthenings that require external fixation. The intramedullary system reduces hospitalization times, reduces the risk of infection and allows for faster recovery and rehabilitation, which allows the patient to gain mobility.
The head of the Traumatology Unit of Molina Orosa, Irene Jiménez, expressed her satisfaction for having these means, the most technologically advanced, and especially for the presence of renowned specialists to carry out the first intervention of these characteristics in the Lanzarote hospital, which opens the door to continue carrying it out in the future.
The patient, who is recovering favorably, will now have clinical and radiological follow-up until the consolidation of the implant allows full support of the limb.
