Forty-Year Experience in Application of Correction Osteotomies for Blount Disease Treatment

Abstract

Long-term results (up to 40 years) of surgical treatment using different types of correction osteotomy in 51 children with Blount disease showed that the operation was necessary but a delayed measure. The authors showed that when deformity achieved the degrees requiring surgical intervention with bone transaction the deforming gonarthrosis inevitably developed at terms up to 10 years after operation. The main causes of varus deformity recurrence were determined, i.e. presence of active but disturbed growth and ossification processes, distal osteotomy level, absence of intraoperative hypercorrection, inobservance of postoperative orthopedic regimen. The only way to achieve good results is early operative intervention directed to growth normalization and formation of proximal tibia with spontaneous deformity correction during the period of child's growth.