Extremity lengthening: results and complications with the Orthofix system.

Twenty-four patients underwent extremity lengthening with the Orthofix for congenital, posttraumatic, or postinfective defects. All were followed to completion of treatment. Length gain and time of treatment were quite acceptable with the Orthofix, but the complication rate was high. This incidence was significantly greater than previously reported by the developers of the technique but equivalent to that reported with other methods.