LIMB LENGTHENING
Limb Lengthening Methods
LATN

LATN (Lengthening and Then Nailing)

Lengthening And Then Nailing

Dong Hoon Lee

LATN
(Lengthening and Then Nailing)

Like LON (Lengthening over Nail), LATN was also developed to minimize the period of external fixator attachment, but it is differerent.

During the first surgery, only the external fixators are attached. When lengthening is complete, a second operation is performed to insert the internal nails and remove the external fixators. Two operations are required. Just like with LON, with LATN we can shorten the external fixation period to nearly half that of conventional Ilizarov methods.

Dr. Donghoon Lee was the first in Korea to perform LATN successfully, in 2010, and he is one of the most experienced LATN surgeons in the world.

The advantages of LATN in contrast to LON (Lengthening over Nail) are as follows. Bone formation is fast and patients can return to normal activity one or two months sooner than LON patients. Also, precise correction of leg alignment is possible. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26507338)

However, there are some potential weaknesses of LATN. After the lengthening period, a correction period is added. Hence, an external fixator needs to be maintained for an additional 2-4 weeks, compared to LON. Also, one or two more external fixator pins are inserted than in LON. The LATN method was established by Dr. Rozbruch. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800209), Before he solved the disadvantages of conventional LON (valgus change and bone formation – this is explained in the LON section.), Dr. Donghoon Lee used LATN more than LON.

However, since he has now solved these two problems, he uses the LON method more often for general stature lengthening; it is simpler and less expensive than LATN. In some cases, such as small bone canals, short bone length, and when the intramedullary nail cannot be inserted because of severe deformation, LATN is still the best option. LATN is also very useful in treating many rare diseases that are otherwise difficult to cure.