The modified Wagner method for surgical lengthening of the limbs.

The method proposed by Wagner in 1971 for surgical lengthening of the limbs was widely used by the authors for the treatment of dysmetria and (since 1976, for the first time in Italy) for disharmonic hypometria. The limitations of this method were revealed, however, by increasing knowledge in this field and the advent of new biological concepts of bone regeneration. The authors report 51 lengthenings carried out between 1982 and 1987 according to their own modification of the Wagner method. They conclude that the Wagner external fixator associated with corticotomy achieves excellent results, decreasing the number of surgical stages as well as the risk of infection and delay in consolidation.