AMPUTATIONS IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Amputations during childhood and juvenile age differ from those in adults: Osseous overgrowth can be expected especially in transhumeral and transtibial stumps, - to be prevented by stump-capping, After loss of a growthplate transosseous stumps will reduce growth; therefore it is crucial to preserve the distal femoral growthplate and a weight-bearing knee-disarticulation stump with respect to future prosthetic function and appearance. Besides predominantly traumatic origin of acquired amputations in the growthperiod longitudinal deficiencies present at birth have to attract utmost attention when decisionmaking for surgical conversion - e. g. of a missing tibia to a knee-disarticulation stump or severe fibular deficiency to a weightbearing Syme- or modified Pirogoff-/Boyd-stump. The multiple limb-deficiend child and adolescent depends on a holistic approach towards therapy provided by specialised centers.