Clinical measurement of longitudinal femoral overgrowth following fracture in children

We have studied residual limb length inequality following femoral shaft fractures in 62 children. From 61.2% of the children who had shortening of more than 1 cm at union, 34.21% still maintained the shortening at the completion of study. The longitudinal femoral overgrowth occurred significantly during the first 18 months of the fracture in 77.4% of the children, with an average of 1.17 cm. Children with proximal-third fractures and those who sustained the fractures before eight years of age have higher capability to correct the limb length disparity.