Ilizarov

The Ilizarov apparatus is named after the orthopedic surgeon Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov pioneered the technique. It is used in surgical procedures to lengthen or reshape limb bones; to treat complex and/or open bone fractures; and in cases of infected non-unions of bones that are not amenable with other techniques. It is a highly specialist technique used mainly for deformity correction by experienced surgeons due to its complexity.

Mechanics And Physics

The device is a specialized form of external fixator, a circular fixator, modular in construction. Stainless steel or titanium rings are fixed to the bone via stainless heavy-gauge wire. The rings are connected to each other with threaded rods attached through adjustable nuts. The circular construction and tensioned wires of the Ilizarov apparatus provide far more structural support than the traditional monolateral fixator system. This allows early weightbearing.

The apparatus is based on the principle which Ilizarov called as "the theory of tensions”. The top rings of the Ilizarov (fixed to the healthy bone by the tensioned wire) allow force to be transferred through the external frame (the vertical metal rods) rather than through the fracture. The Ilizarov apparatus acts as a sort of bridge, both immobilizing the fracture site and relieving it of stress, while allowing for the movement of the entire limb and partial weight-bearing.

THE BENEFITS AND RISKS OF THE ILIZAROV TECHNIQUE FOR LIMB RECONSTRUCTION

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