In Lviv, doctors “lengthened” a girl’s leg, which was 7 cm shorter than the other – News

Khrystyna’s right leg was shorter than the left by as much as 7 centimeters

St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital

In Lviv, a 17-year-old girl was operated on, one of whose legs was 7 centimeters shorter than the other. The patient stood on her feet for the first time in the last 7 years.

The story of Khrystyna Gerus was told at the St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital.

A 10-year-old girl from Lviv fell and broke her pelvic bone.

During the examination, Lviv doctors discovered an even more serious problem – juvenile epiphysiolysis of the femoral head.

“This means that the head slipped off the neck in the opposite direction and continued to move further and further. Children with this diagnosis become lame“, the doctors say. To prevent this, the surgeons operated on the girl, put the head of the femur in place and fixed it with screws.

However, a year after the operation, complications arose – aseptic necrosis of the femoral head. This happens only in 15% of operated children.

“Due to the fact that the head was constantly moving for a long time, the blood vessels feeding it were severely injured and the head began to disintegrate. This led to a delay in the growth of the right, operated leg.

We knew that when Khrystyna grew up and her bones stopped growing, she would need to have her leg lengthened”, says Halyna Gachkevich, head of the orthopedic and trauma department.

When the girl was 13, the difference in the length of her legs no longer allowed her to walk normally. Then she was prescribed special orthopedic shoes. The medical facility notes: the child was complex, often looked at himself and even refused to go outside.

At the age of 17, Khrystyna’s right leg was already 7 centimeters shorter than her left, and only an expensive operation could correct this defect.

Soon, the hospital informed that the head would operate on the girl for free.

Orthopedic traumatologists of St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital together with colleagues from Poland performed endoprosthetics.

Doctors note: such an intervention has not yet been performed on children in the western regions. A team of doctors replaced the damaged head and acetabulum with titanium implants. In addition, a special leg was inserted into the head, which helped to lengthen the bone and correct the difference in length.

After the operation, rehabilitation began. Together with a physical therapist, Khrystyna develops and learns how to load her right leg. According to the doctors, a week after endoprosthetics, the girl took her first steps without crutches.

Now she can live fully, doctors say.

It will be recalled that a 14-year-old girl with anorexia and bilateral pneumonia was rescued in Lviv.