[Walking ability in bilateral leg amputees following prosthetic rehabilitation].

Between January 1989 and March 1993 117 patients were treated after acquired bilateral amputation of the lower extremities at the "Klinik und Poliklinik für Technische Orthopädie und Rehabilitation der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster", Germany. Information from patients files and telephone interviews were collected to assess the degree of use of prostheses. All patients with levels of amputation not higher than above-knee on one side and hind-foot on the other side used their prostheses for daily walking. None of the patients with bilateral knee-disarticulation or higher levels of amputation used prosthetic devices for regular walking. In patients with amputation levels between these extremes the result of rehabilitation with prostheses is determined mainly by the cause of the amputation.