Epiphysiodesis for the treatment of tall stature and leg length discrepancy.

ABSTRACT

Painful orthopedic conditions associated with extreme tall stature and leg length discrepancy (LLD) include back pain and adopting bad posture. After failure of conservative treatment options, blocking of the growth plates (epiphysiodesis) around the knee emerged as gold standard in patients with tall stature and LLD in the growing skeleton. Surgical planning includes growth prediction and evaluation of bone age. Since growth prediction is associated with a certain potential error, adequate planning and timing of epiphysiodesis are the key for success of the treatment. LLD corrections up to 5 cm can be achieved, and predicted extreme tall stature can be limited. Percutaneous epiphysiodesis techniques are minimally invasive, safe and efficient methods with low complication rates. In general, a multidisciplinary approach should be pursued when treating children and adolescents with tall stature.