Limb Lengthening Forum

Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Discussions => Topic started by: ShortLegs on May 11, 2014, 10:12:14 AM

Title: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 11, 2014, 10:12:14 AM
Hey Guys
though I am reading this forum for few years now, its my first post as I am about to take the next step and do it.
In my search I have contacted few doctors and below is their summar.
Please note I want 10cm gain as I have short legs (so the name) thus wont suffer from Body Disproportionate. Also need to return to work quicly so don want external fixators.

Prof. Ghassan Salameh Syria/Germany (promise 10cm with SalamehFix but not LON)
Dr Maurizio A. Catagni Milan Italy- impressive CV (8cm with Precise nails for 38,000Euro)
Dr. Yasser Elbatrawy  Greece (8cm with Precise for 35,000Euro)
Dr Guicet Italy (8-10cm with Guichet-Nails for 45,000Euro).

I cannot afford more than one LL operation due to Cost, Age, Job, Family thus have to chose the best option this one and last time.
Anything less than 10cm will be disappointing for me.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: TRS on May 11, 2014, 11:36:10 AM

Anything less than 10cm will be disappointing for me.


PRECICE/PRECICE2 nail only lengthens to a maximum of 6.5 and 8.5 cm respectively.
I think Guichet will be the best option if you want 10cm!
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Disobedient on May 11, 2014, 01:03:52 PM


well even if you have short legs 10cm in one segment still too much .. and your nevus may not take that amount.. I remember I met one of Sarin's patient who stopped at 5cm because of that.


I wonder which is more dangerous having quad lengthening or lengthening 10cm in one segment.. ?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 11, 2014, 02:14:05 PM
I am inclined to Dr Guichet but I think its painful to have clicks whereas Precice is painless lengthening. I dont mind spending three months on wheelchair but thinking of 21 painful clicks for 3 months is frightening.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: programdude on May 11, 2014, 04:45:18 PM
Personally I'd be a little nervous of these doctors. From what I can tell some dont have any feedback on here and others have terrible feedback. I'd be nervous doing even a normal amount with them but with 10 cm with ANYONE you are looking at some serious trouble.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: BilateralDamage on May 11, 2014, 05:03:00 PM
I am inclined to Dr Guichet but I think its painful to have clicks whereas Precice is painless lengthening. I dont mind spending three months on wheelchair but thinking of 21 painful clicks for 3 months is frightening.

There's no such thing as pain free lengthening.  Clicking pain should be the least of your concern; muscle pain, nerve damage, soreness, and tiredness from lack of sleep will always be more difficult to deal with.

PRECICE 2 isn't only wheelchair either, you can bear weight on a walker until adequate consolidation is reached.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 11, 2014, 06:51:35 PM
Having done some more research I am now torn between

Dr Catagni (8cm with Precice2 for 38,000Euro)
Dr Guichet (10cm with Guichet-Nails for 45,000Euro)

 
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: onedayillgrow on May 11, 2014, 07:01:15 PM
What will you be lengthening? Tibiae or Femurs?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 11, 2014, 07:45:39 PM
Femur as it has less complications than Tibia
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on May 11, 2014, 08:34:30 PM
If you want 10cm, I'd say going to Beijing and doing tibiae is your best bet.  They have lots of experience lengthening 10cm and up, and they aren't picky about who they admit.  Even though his nail will lengthen that much, Guichet might not let you lengthen 10cm.  It depends on your physical test results with him.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: onedayillgrow on May 11, 2014, 09:30:07 PM
If you want 10cm, I'd say going to Beijing and doing tibiae is your best bet.  They have lots of experience lengthening 10cm and up, and they aren't picky about who they admit.  Even though his nail will lengthen that much, Guichet might not let you lengthen 10cm.  It depends on your physical test results with him.

Are you suggesting Tibiae because it would be aesthetically better or more proportioned? Is there any reason you are suggesting Tibiae and not Femur although Femurs have a lower complication risk?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on May 11, 2014, 09:35:23 PM
Where are you getting this information about a lower complication risk for femurs?  A lot can go wrong with LL no matter the bones being lengthened.

8-10cm on femurs will throw off the mechanical/anatomical axes by quite a lot.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: onedayillgrow on May 11, 2014, 09:40:02 PM
Oh i see, sorry. My bad. I just have one more question, won't Tibiae also throw off the ratio's too, or not as much?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on May 11, 2014, 09:49:00 PM
The mechanical and anatomical axes of the tibia are the same, so the amount lengthened is irrelevant in terms of throwing off the relationship between them.

In this picture you can see the mechanical axis, anatomical axis, and the tibiofemoral angle.  The tibiofemoral angle is changed when you lengthen femurs, because they're lengthened only along the anatomical axis.  The knees and/or hips will have to compensate for this change in order to maintain the mechanical (functional) axis when you walk.  This is why it's important to not to lengthen femurs by too much.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Blackhawk on May 11, 2014, 10:12:06 PM
The mechanical and anatomical axes of the tibia are the same, so the amount lengthened is irrelevant in terms of throwing off the relationship between them.

In this picture you can see the mechanical axis, anatomical axis, and the tibiofemoral angle.  The tibiofemoral angle is changed when you lengthen femurs, because they're lengthened only along the anatomical axis.  The knees and/or hips will have to compensate for this change in order to maintain the mechanical (functional) axis when you walk.  This is why it's important to not to lengthen femurs by too much.

Good post MDOW!  I knew the femurs were at an angle but I didn't realize that by over-lengthening them you could affect the axis too much.

Have you read any comments from a 8+ cm femur lengthener on this topic?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: KrP1 on May 11, 2014, 11:12:36 PM
Hey medium. Why do you recomed to do 10 cm in tibias.that is a huge amount for tibias. Who do you think the recovery of a person that length that amount could be?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on May 11, 2014, 11:52:33 PM
I don't really recommend it, but I think if 10cm is the goal it should be done on femurs.

Also, please consult your doctor about this.  This is only my understanding of it as a layperson.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Taller on May 12, 2014, 02:02:43 AM
What about people who naturally have freakishly long femurs? There are many out there. Are their mechanical axises screwed up? If not, how are their bodies adapted to their naturally long femurs?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on May 12, 2014, 02:46:53 AM
Their bodies would've grown in a way that accommodates their unusual femur length, I'd imagine, unlike people who are artificially stretching out theirs.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Taller on May 12, 2014, 04:36:35 AM
I guess so. That's definitely an explanation I'd believe. It would be interesting to compare the hip and knee joints of long femured vs short femured individuals. I always wonder what improvements could be made to CLL technology if there were only a bigger market for it and this more research going on to make it a better "product". It would a trade off, I guess. If there's a bigger market, there's more risk of people knowing that we get CLL, and the average height of many populations would probably rise a very little bit, but CLL would probably become safer, more affordable, and provide better results.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 12, 2014, 04:51:01 AM
Yes Beijing seems good idea but I have read so many bad stories and as many good stories. But my problem is it may take 6 months there which I cannot afford.
Dr Catagni offer back to work 2months after surgery
Dr Guichet offer back to wek 3months after surgery
Dr Xia etc offer 6months after surgery

I am getting more and more convinced with Precice2 as I cannot imagine painful 21clicks everyday with internal nails.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Taller on May 12, 2014, 05:28:05 AM
Since I don't feel that I'm in the minority in saying I've never heard anything regarding Dr. Catagni's capacity for CLL, I'd say, without a doubt, go with Dr. Guichet, who has a huge reputation for honesty and getting the job done safely. He has had many confirmed successful/satisfactory 8-10CM CLL cases.

Back to work in 2 months, especially with precise 2 (or any nail besides betzbone, g-nail, or albizzia), sounds downright unrealistic and misleading. With any nail, doing physical work before consolidating doesn't seem like the safest approach to LL, and, considering the huge  cost of the nails, I'd recommend being as safe as possible.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Taller on May 12, 2014, 05:33:48 AM
I am getting more and more convinced with Precice2 as I cannot imagine painful 21clicks everyday with internal nails.

Also, Precise 2 is an internal nail, and clicks are only a small part of the pain of LL. You will still feel muscle tightness of an extreme nature and possible nerve pain regardless of which method you choose. If you are afraid of the pain of clicking, LL may not be for you. No offense intended, but you seem like you need to do a little more research before jumping into this. CLL is a massive endeavor and many consider it to be the most extreme cosmetic surgery on the planet. Just my opinion, of course, but I hope it can be of some use to you.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: programdude on May 12, 2014, 05:44:13 AM
What Tall says is true. The very first thing I came to terms with was accepting/expecting this to be the most painful experience ever. If it isn't, then great, but you should be expecting it to be bad. Remember there are some who pay for the operation and quiet after a CM due to pain.

You are destroying your body and building it anew. Safety should be a concern, but pain, while a factor, will not be avoided.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 12, 2014, 06:29:30 AM
Thanks for all replies. My job is not very physical just office desk job so I mean I want to be back at work ASAP without it being too much noticed. I can take maximum 3 months off so dont want to risk complication and extend my Hospital stay which may lead to job loss.

I like Dr Guichet but his 45,000Euro fees is just basic and you still need to add

350Euro Consultation fees
3,500Euro for three month accomodation
Alomost 2,700Euro for Physio
3000Euro for food and taxis
and it all come down to 55,000Euro

Is there any other expenditure I have missed in my calculations?
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Europa on May 13, 2014, 05:30:27 AM
Dr Catagni offer back to work 2months after surgery

Could you please tell us more about this doctor? Always interesting to hear of a new European option.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 14, 2014, 11:43:56 AM
After doing all the research I am thinking of LATP but despite my searched could not find its cost compared to LATN, GNails, Betzbone etc.
Also could not find surgeon (except Dr Rozburch in NY- exceptionally expensive) who can do the LATP.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: Taller on May 15, 2014, 02:18:57 AM
Are you still considering 10CM? If you do that amount on your tibiae, the chances that you will be able to run again are miniscule. I too would love to be 10CM taller, but losing all of my athletic ability is simply a trade i would never make.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: KiloKAHN on May 15, 2014, 02:33:21 AM
After doing all the research I am thinking of LATP but despite my searched could not find its cost compared to LATN, GNails, Betzbone etc.
Also could not find surgeon (except Dr Rozburch in NY- exceptionally expensive) who can do the LATP.

Plate fixation should cost about the same as LON.
Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortLegs on May 15, 2014, 04:15:22 AM
Hi Tall
No I have changed my mind 6-7cm if tibia (Preferably LATP otherwise Ilzirov, Salamehfix etc)
7-8cm if femur (preferably LATP otherwise Gnails etc)

Thanks Kilokahn
Do you know any surgeon who do it?


Title: Re: Help Me
Post by: ShortyMcShort on May 20, 2014, 04:33:55 PM
Thanks for all replies. My job is not very physical just office desk job so I mean I want to be back at work ASAP without it being too much noticed. I can take maximum 3 months off so dont want to risk complication and extend my Hospital stay which may lead to job loss.

I like Dr Guichet but his 45,000Euro fees is just basic and you still need to add

350Euro Consultation fees
3,500Euro for three month accomodation
Alomost 2,700Euro for Physio
3000Euro for food and taxis
and it all come down to 55,000Euro

Is there any other expenditure I have missed in my calculations?

Yerp you missed the last fee, the rip off $10,000 for nail removal. $10k for nail removal is a robbery if you ask me.
And the 3,500EUR was for a 2month accommodation wasnt it, not 3? I could be wrong here