Correction of radius deformity using guided-growth technology in children with multiple hereditary exostoses

Introduction. Multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE) is a disease that progresses as a child grows, which leads to severe deformities of the skeleton. In 30–60% of MHE cases, the bones of the forearms are affected with the development of radius deformity. In addition to resection of bone and cartilage formations, surgical treatment may include various types of osteotomies using submersible metal fixators and external fixation devices. The development of guided-growth technology dictates the need to expand the scope of minimally invasive surgery. The possibilities of using this technology for deformities of the upper extremities have not yet been sufficiently studied. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of the method of controlled bone growth in the surgical treatment of ulnar deformity against the background of multiple hereditary exostoses. Materials and methods. In the period from 2021–2024, thirty three 5 to 17 years children (55 segments/forearms) were hospitalized at the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health. The study group consisted of 13 children (15 segments) diagnosed with: Distal radius deformiry on the background of multiple hereditary exostoses. A control group of 20 (40 segments) children were diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Patients from the study group underwent surgical treatment of radius deformity using temporary arrest of the growth zone (hemiepiphysiodesis) of the radius. All the studied patients were assessed the angle of the ulnar tilt (UT) and of the lunate subsidence (LS) on X-rays of the forearm in direct projection, patients from the study group were radiographed in the preoperative period and 12–20 months after surgery. The statistical analysis of the studied parameters is based on the search for statistical differences in groups and was performed in the Stattech program. Results. The preoperative value of the elbow angle UT was 35° (33.40), after surgical treatment, UT was 27° (24.32) at p = 0.0002. The value of the LS before surgery was 8.73 ± 3.33 mm, after surgical correction LS was 7.48 ± 3.36 mm at p = 0.005. The achieved level of correction of UT and LS in the study group did not statistically differ from that of the control group, which indicates that the target values were achieved. The average angle of correction of the UT parameter was 8°/year, the trend in postoperative LS values was 1.25 mm/year. Conclusion. The technology of guided-growth effectively corrects the axis of the radius deformity in MHE children during growth. The timely application of this technology makes it possible to prevent the development of severe deformity of the radius and to abandon the performance of corrective osteotomies in the future