The treatment of some skeletal deformities.

IN infants and children there are some rather rare skeletal deformities which are not usually treated by pediatric surgeons and therefore often not treated early enough. As pediatric surgeons have the best opportunities to undertake the care of crippled infants, all diseases and malformations requiring surgical treatment in early infancy should be included within the scope of pediatric surgery. The very old Chinese custom of binding female feet, and the ritual habits of certain native tribes inducing artificial towerheads, are examples of the fact that treatment in early infancy is capable of moulding the shape of bones during growth. This fact can be made use of in the treatment of certain congenital skeletal deformities. The causes of wrong growth or hindrance of normal growth should also be eliminated as early as possible. In this lecture I will deal with the treatment of three groups of skeletal deformities: craniosynostosis, thoracic deformities and congenital bone defects of the limbs. Table i shows the material treated at our hospital.