The role of Taylor Spatial Frame for the treatment of acquired and congenital tibial deformities in children

This study evaluates the use of the Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) for the correction of acquired and congenital tibial deformities in children. The purpose is to underline problems, obstacles and complications that can be observed during treatment to reveal the learning curve and potential risk factors and to propose solutions to avoid difficulties during its use 86 tibia deformities were corrected in 66 children during a period of 7 years and were classified according to anatomical and dominant type of deformity. Follow up was 54.2 months. Gradual correction was performed according to the individualized time schedule. We faced 42 difficulties : 29 problems, 10 obstacles and 3 complications, distributed across all years. Significant correlation was found between patient's age and number of difficulties. The incidence of the difficulties was equally spread over the different etiologies, but it was statistically significant across the years. Proximal tibia and complex multi-plane deformities seem to be related to an increased incidence of postoperative difficulties. TSF can yield accurate results, is easy to handle and provides an excellent concomitant 3-direction correction.