Strategy and tactics in limb lengthening.

This article discusses the basic rules and operating principles in limb lengthening for patients treated for anisomelia and in persons with short statue. Among the most essential issues regarding overall strategy are the degree shortening in the limb to be lengthened, the amount of lengthening, the age at which lengthening should be undertaken, the staging of treatment, the upper age limit for treatment, the rules for correcting limb deformities, and the issue of whether or not to shorten the healthy limb or inhibit its growth. On the level of surgical tactics, the author discusses procedure in cases with considerable shortening, shortening of the entire limb shortening of one segment, and in persons with short statue or particular diseases.