LENGTHS OF THE FEMUR AND THE TIBIA

Abstract

THE GROWTH of the femur and the tibia is an important consideration in clinical medicine, as well as in the assay of the development of the normal child. Unequal growth of the lower extremities occurs in many conditions, often to an extent requiring operative measures to correct the discrepancy. Surgical arrest of one or more of the epiphyses on the longer leg is the procedure of choice in many instances, the site of operation being ordinarily the lower part of the femur or the upper part of the tibia. Since each epiphysis contributes a specific percentage of the growth of the extremity, the timing of such an operation can be established if the amount of growth from the particular bone can be predicted. We have been unable to find any published values for the lengths of the tibia and the femur which covered the adolescent years and which were applicable