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November 02, 2008
Elan gets a fixator
As many family & friends know, our 9 yr old has Perthes disease.
On November 7, Elan will have an external fixator surgically mounted onto his hip. The fixator rests on the outside of his body and will be in place for 4 months. This device pulls the hip or femur bone back, allowing new cartilage to take shape. It is this cartilage that will ultimately form a new hip ball and socket for Elan. Once the fixator is removed, Elan will be in a brace for several months.
He will then use crutches and a wheelchair to get around. The key to this condition is to be 'non-weight bearing' until the new hip takes shape. Unfortunately, this process takes several years. The goal to any treatment plan is to create as round a ball as possible. This helps force a better outcome as Elan and his hips get older.
The external fixator procedure is out of the experimental stage and being pioneered in the country by 2 surgeons, one of which will do Elan's procedure in Baltimore, Maryland at the Rubin Institute's International Center for Limb Lengthening. The center is part of
Sinai Hospital. The center has been doing this work for the past 5 years and is seeing good results in older children.
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