United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi Patty,

Is it his lower or upper arm?
My son Paul who will be 9 in January is willing to correspond with him if he has any concerns.

Julianne

Karrie,

Sounds like your child and my Kelsey are in the same position. Kelsey needs to have the acriomio, then the humeral osteotomy.

We will probably have it done sometime in the winter.

Nancy

Blake was scheduled for acromio Oct 4, but Dr. Shenaq said that we could really wait for that and asked Blake what he wanted to be able to do with his arm and Blake replied that he wanted to turn his hand palm up and put his arm behind his back. Dr. Shenaq said that we should have the humeral osteotomy done now and then we can address the shoulder again. To make a long story(and week short), Dr. Davino saw Blake immediately and then said yes, he would definately benefit from the humeral osteotomy. He had this done 10 days ago. Can't wait to see the results. We are so happy for him!! Dr. Davino was great.

Crystal S.

Karrie,
Rain just had the Forearm Osteotomy this past Thursday. She came through it with no problem. She was on Morphine right after the surgery right before she went to the recovery room, but once that wore off she didn't need any other pain medication. The surgery was done as outpatient surgery so she came home the same day. The procedure itself was about an hour and she spent an hour in recovery. Then we drove home from Houston that same afternoon. She came out the operating room with a cast. She has to wear the cast for 6 weeks and then it will be removed. Then we will be able to resume therapy. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free and email me.

DeShawn

Hi Julianne,

It's the upper part. Please thank your son for offering his help. Michael is still a little scared, but I think he will be fine. If anything it's going to be hard for him to slow down and not be so active. Right now as I type, he is slamming hockey goals into the net down in our basement. The boy is in constant motion. I do have a question.I was wondering about the screws and metal plate they put into the arm. Does it effect how the childs arm grows? Can anyone answer that question? Do they even still use screws and a metal plate?

Patty

Hi Patty,

In Pauls case he didn't have screws & plate initially though after 12 weeks on x-ray it seemed that the bones were moving. The doctor decided that he should have them inserted to stabilise the bone. Whilst under anaesthetic another x-ray was taken and the surgeon had a good "feel" of the area as well and said that the bone was now firming up so no need for plate & screws, however another 4 weeks in plaster.
Dr Johnson explained to us that the ulna bone acts as a slint for the osteotomy of the radial bone and if the arm is plastered in the correct position it should heal without the need for the fixtures. He also said as the fixtures are foreign bodies placed inside the arm, although they are sterile, there is still a greater risk of infection. They would also require another operation at a latter date for removal. He opted for the less obtrusive surgery.
Please remember this surgery was done in Australia and I don't know what your surgeons do. Maybe from my explaination you might be able to be prepared with questions for your surgeon.

Julianne

The osteotomy I am talking about is on the lower arm. It is very different than the derotational osteotomy done on the upper arm. My understanding is the osteotomy done on the upper arm requires screws and pins and they are fixed with an external splinting device. The osteotomy done on the lower arm requires no screws or pins, sometimes just a rod that comes out when the cast comes off. Just a plaster cast like a broken arm, not a fixed external contraption. Those of you who have been through it....does this sound right? Thanks.
Karrie

DeShawn,
Who did your daughters surgery? Does she have any pins or screws? Thanks.
Karrie

Yes, you're correct

Karrie,

I think you are thinking of the lizarov (sp?) device, which can be used in osteotomy to "customize" the amount of rotation (I think? Deana can you comment on the differences?). But I think the upper arm osteotomy can also be just a straightforward cut and then a fixed rotation. I think there is a plate and screws left behind to hold the bone, but the external fixation device isn't always used.

Kate