The first bone lengthening operation in Poland using an innovative method was performed yesterday in Warsaw by Dr. Konrad Słynarski, an outstanding orthopedist. The same one who has already become famous for the operation of actor John Malkovich and tennis player Jerzy Janowicz. This time he lengthened the patient’s leg, which she had had shorter since birth. The new method of bone lengthening enables victims of accidents, people with congenital deformities to recover, and can even help those who are fit but cannot come to terms with my short stature.
The operation that Dr. Konrad Słynarski performed at the Gamma Medical Center was not the first operation to extend the bone, but the first to be performed with this unusual method. What is its breakthrough? The one used so far was developed in the 50s by the Soviet physician Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov, it consisted in cutting the bone crosswise and stretching it with a metal frame. The patient had it bolted to his leg for almost two months. And the metal bars encircling the leg made it impossible to walk and live a normal life, such as moving freely, using the toilet, or assuming a comfortable position while sleeping. In addition, the nails that fastened the frame to the bones cut the skin, which exposed the patient to infections and caused difficult-to-heal wounds and scars. The method was associated with a high risk of complications not only related to infections, but also muscle damage resulting from the use of the rack for a long period after the procedure.
Magnet dice
Innovative operations performed in Warsaw were aimed at lengthening the bones with simultaneous correction of disturbances in the mechanics and shape of the limb. The new method involves placing a metal movable rod inside the bone. There is a motor in the rod, which is driven by a magnetic field. The patient gets home special magnets that cause the rod to elongate. Three times a day, for two minutes, he puts the magnet in the right place and thanks to this his leg extends by 1 mm each day. It is completely painless. After 50 days, the limb is 5 cm longer. The method also allows you to correct bone distortions. – The technology used is minimally invasive, and most importantly, it is invisible, with no metal elements sticking out of the leg. This increases the patient’s comfort after the procedure. The nail is inserted inside the bone – says Dr. Konrad Słynarski from the Gamma Medical Center. The procedure costs tens of thousands of zlotys. It is not reimbursed in Poland. However, German health insurance funds, for example, pay for such treatment.
The lame one stops limping
In the first patient operated on with the new method, limb shortening was associated with congenital abnormalities in the shape of the bones. Ewa was limping because of this, and it deprived her of her confidence. And she is young and ambitious. “I’m glad that I will be able to walk normally,” he says.
In the case of the second patient, the femur was shortened and its shape was disturbed as a result of a car accident. The injured person is a ski instructor with many years of experience and an extremely active person. He would like to go back to the ski slope as soon as possible. – I decided to undergo surgery because of my passion, which is skiing, because I admit that it is something that drives me in my life – she says. – I would like to continue skiing and, above all, teach and infect others with my love for two boards – he adds.
Celebrity orthopedist
In 2014, Dr. Słynarski performed an osteotomy operation for a famous American actor who came to Warsaw especially for the procedure. Thanks to this operation, the star avoided the implantation of a knee prosthesis. Today his leg is fine. Also the famous Polish tennis player Jerzy Janowicz, who fell to 200th position in the ATP world ranking after a knee injury, started to win again thanks to Dr. Słynarski’s therapy. The orthopedist also specializes in treatment with the use of stem cells. This is the subject of his doctoral dissertation, which he defended in the United States. “They’re basically cells called pericytes. They are found on blood vessels in various parts of the body. When damaged, they penetrate the bloodstream and reach the affected area with the blood. They are like a mobile pharmacy. They regenerate damage. They are also used in oncology and post-transplant treatment, she explains.