Thirteen-year-old Sophia* is the first person in a former Soviet state to undergo a specialized thighbone alignment and limb lengthening surgery. The procedure was performed in Georgia by two orthopedic specialists from Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel.
Sophia after the leg-lengthening surgery. Photography: Rambam HCC.
Professor Mark Eidelman, director of the Pediatric Orthopedics Unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Doron Keshet, a senior physician in the Unit, conducted the surgery. Rambam is one of the few hospitals in Israel that performs this procedure, which is common in some Western countries but had not yet been done in Eastern European countries formerly under Soviet rule.
Limb lengthening surgery is used to correct congenital and other conditions causing irregular bone growth or shortened bones by gradually extending the length of a bone in the arm or leg. A special magnetic nail is inserted into the patient’s bone, serving two purposes: it fixates the bone after a surgical fracture to reshape the limb and gradually lengthens it. An external magnet allows precise control and adjustment of the nail by the physician.
Eidelman describes this procedure as a significant breakthrough in orthopedic surgery for patients with short stature and limb deformities. “In the former Soviet states, conditions causing short stature and limb deformities are well-known. This surgery offers an advanced treatment option for those patients.”
Previously, limb lengthening involved attaching an external brace to the bone, often causing tissue and skeletal damage, limited mobility, severe pain, and an increased infection of risk.
“Sophia had undergone several surgeries to correct a congenital deformity, leaving one leg shorter than the other,” explains Eidelman. “Despite these surgeries, there was still a 45 mm (~1.8 inch) discrepancy between her legs. Our procedure reduced this to just 5 mm (~0.2 inch), which is life-changing for her.”
Eidelman emphasizes that Israel’s ability to assist patients in former Soviet states extends beyond medical significance; it also serves the national interest. “Given the varied perceptions of Israel since October 7, from support to boycott, Israeli medicine has the power to bridge divides and connect with people on a profound level.”
*Name changed to protect her identity
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