Orthopaedic problems associated with survival in campomelic dysplasia.

In the early part of this century sporadic reports of campomelic dysplasia appeared in the literature, along with reports of other entities, under the term "congenital bowing of the long bones." In 1970 Spranger et al. considered campomelic dysplasia a distinct entity. The terms "camptomelic" and "campomelic" have been used interchangeably in the literature since that time. The patient in the present report is a 6 1/2-year-old white girl with classic long-limbed campomelic dysplasia. The patient has had severe respiratory problems throughout her life. As an infant she was treated by a Pavlik harness for subluxation of the hips. She later required two cervical and two thoracic posterior spinal fusions, as well as release of complex foot deformities and osteotomy of the right tibia. Perioperative complications have been significant. Currently, her height and weight are those of a 2 1/2-year-old child, and she has the bone age of a 3 1/2-year-old child. Nevertheless, she is in first grade at a regular school. Certainly, the prognosis for patients with campomelic dysplasia is guarded, but some survivors may be helped by judicious orthopedic care.