Limb lengthening with one Precice nail over its capacity.

Abstract

The Precice nail is used to treat limb length discrepancies and has a low complication rate and a high patient satisfaction rate. While the Precice nail can be used for lengthening, unlike other lengthening nails, it can also be used for shortening. We report a 37-year-old female patient with a 14 cm limb length discrepancy that was treated with a new surgical technique using the shortening feature of the Precice nail. Following maximum possible lengthening using the nail and without waiting for union on the osteotomy line, the distal interlocking screws were removed, and the nail was shortened by external remote control with the help of the fixator. The distal interlocking screws were then reattached to continue lengthening. This surgical technique can be used safely and satisfactorily in cases with more shortness as we can correct the extremity length discrepancy using only one nail.