Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Discussions => Topic started by: Generic on October 03, 2013, 06:20:11 PM
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I'm suprised Fitbone is still in use. Betz hasnt pushed it for many years. May explain why there's no mention of his name as the inventor, perhaps he sold on the license or rights. Or could it be a Fitbone 2.0?
" Since the market launch of FITBONE® in 1997, the success story of this innovative treatment concept, developed in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Baumgart, has gone from strength-to-strength throughout the world. The 2,000th FITBONE® was successfully implanted in December 2012. Each year, some 300 intramedullary nails are implanted in the human body as a method of bone lengthening "
Source: http://www.wittenstein-intens.de/fitbone/en/
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From what I heard, Dr Betz does not use the Fitbone anymore. Anyway, take these kind of information as marketing material, No doctor is going to tell you about the bad and risky aspect unless you press them specifically for details. The bottom line is results of the patients speak for themselves.
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The current Fitbone nail produced by Wittenstein is the 4th generation. The company has worked out some of the problems that used to happen with the nail before. Prof. Baumgart in Germany is one of the doctors who uses the Fitbone both for cosmetic and discrepancy lengthenings. A friend of mine just got out of the hospital in Germany, one of his legs was naturally shorter than the other, so insurance paid for his surgery. Although reliable, a single Fitbone nail currently costs around €20,000. Multiply that by two, add doctors' expenses, and you have a sum around €70,000. It's more than the Guichet Nail or the Betzbone. Since it's more expensive, it's not a widely preferred nail for cosmetic lengthenings.