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Single stage lengthening by fibular intercalary bone graft in a patient with metacarpal shortening

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Abstract

Metacarpal shortening is a rare condition. This report presents a 10-year-old patient with a shortened middle metacarpal that had become increasingly obvious with growth. The patient and his parents were embarrassed about the appearance of his hand which was psychologically disturbing him. At the age of 11, a single stage lengthening of the metacarpal was done using a fibular intercalary bone graft. Surgery was done for cosmetic reason, adequate length was achieved, and the patient and his parents were satisfied. The principle advantage of a single stage lengthening is the relative simplicity, low morbidity and predictable success rate. According to our report, the single stage lengthening by fibular intercalary bone graft appears to be a successful procedure in young patients with modest shortening of digital rays.

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Acknowledgment

No funds were received in support of this study. No benefits in any form have been or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. No financial support was provided for this report.

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Correspondence to P. Šponer.

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Šponer, P., Mathew, P.G. Single stage lengthening by fibular intercalary bone graft in a patient with metacarpal shortening. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 20, 55–57 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-009-0487-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-009-0487-x

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