Limb Lengthening

TRUE/LOK^TM External Fixation System

Researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children developed the TRUE/LOK^TM External Fixation System, a modified design of the Ilizarov circular fixator, in 1993. The device was created to treat deformities and bone traumas and to lengthen limbs with a simpler frame.

Distraction Osteogenesis
The TRUE/LOK^TM External Fixation System uses a surgical process called distraction osteogenesis to correct limb length discrepancies. In this process, the bone is surgically split in two sections and slowly moved apart by the TRUE/LOK^TM external fixator, allowing new bone to form in the gap. Distraction osteogenesis expands both the bone volume and the soft tissues surrounding the bone.

While the process is proven to be successful, it takes many months to finish and requires a commitment from the patient and family to complete the treatment.

About the TRUE/LOK^TM
The TRUE/LOK^TM external fixator, which has been used to treat thousands of children, is designed to reduce the complexity of adjusting the frame after surgery. The system is a major improvement to the Ilizarov fixator, allowing surgeons to salvage limbs in certain cases of severe trauma that previously resulted in amputation.

The hospital holds five U.S. and international patents on the TRUE/LOK^TM external fixator.