After an extensive lower limb lengthening procedure, Snehal is now taller by 12 inches. Also his arms have been proportionately lengthened by 4 inches.
A rare genetic disorder of the bones, achondroplasia is roughly found in 1 in 25,000 people. The average height of an adult with chondroplasia is just 52 inches.
Achondroplasia is a defect of bone formation which literally means "without cartilage formation". This defect arises when the body is not equipped to convert cartilage to bone.
"After the second stage, the patient was not able to tie even his shoe strings because now the upper limb was much smaller in comparison to his lower limbs. In the third stage his arm bone (i.E. Humerus) was lengthened by 4 inches to make the Upper and Lower limbs proportionate to each other, so that the patient could perform his daily activities," said Dr Rajeev K Sharma, senior consultant, Department of Orthopedics, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.
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It is used to treat open or complex bone fractures, correction of deformities of the limbs, bone infections, treatment of malunited fractures and limb lengthening.
"The Apparatus used for the Illizarov Procedure comprises of an Illizarov Fixators which has Rings, rods and wires. New bone is formed in between the corticotomised bone surfaces which are carefully and gradually pulled in a controlled manner using the fixator. Over time, this process helps in bone growth between bone ends.