A new measuring fixator design for humeral supracondylar corrective osteotomies in children

Treatment for bone deformities secondary to malunited fractures usually require corrective osteotomies, and high incidence of surgical failure rates have been reported. Inaccurate corrections and loss of reductions are among the most common causes, and these technical errors ought to be improved[l-2]. A new measuring fixator for humeral supracondylar corrective osteotomies in children was designed and used in clinical application. Several surgical trials were performed in vitro using rapid prototype models to simulate different bony deformities. Two boys who had sustained cubitus varus following malunited humeral supracondylar fracture were performed using proposed measuring fixator. The results of the clinical trial show that the angle of correction was accurate, and the procedure could be carried out by the surgeon himself without additional help, with an average of 1.3 penetration of the physis per each fixating Kirschner wire (8 times in 6 K-wires). The surgical time was reduced, as well as the radiation exposure. Biomed Eng Appl Basis Comm, 2003 (February); 15: 27-31.