Bone lengthening is a surgical method which requires meticulous technique,
continuous attention, and satisfactory cooperation on the part of the patient.
The absence of common criteria makes it difficult both to classify the
complications which arise, and to compare them with those of other authors. We
report the complications in a group of 61 patients who were studied
prospectively. Disorders of the lengthening callus accounted for 45% of all
complications, and a further 33% arose in the joints. The remainder occurred in
the bone, the apparatus and the soft tissues, of which the most common were
stiffness of the joints, axial deviations and loosening of the pins, while
articular subluxation, fractures with angulation and delayed consolidation
occurred less frequently. In our study, the overall number of complications per
lengthening process was 2.1. In bilateral lengthening, the rate was 1 per
segment, while in unilateral cases the mean was 2.7. Problems which we defined as
severe, requiring that the lengthening had to be halted, occurred in 1.8% of the
total complications. The aetiology of the length discrepancy has an important
role in the complications which occur in each segment. Over twice as many
problems occur in asymmetrical lengthening procedures as in patients where
lengthening is symmetrical
