Digital Technology-Assisted "Z" Osteotomy lower limb corrective procedures.

Background and study aims: Digital technology is a transformative product of the information age. z-osteotomy is a surgical procedure that corrects limb angulation and lengthens shortening deformities within a 40 mm difference in limb length.The purpose of this study is to Introduce the surgical technique of digitally assisted "Z" osteotomy for correction of angular and length deformities of the lower limbs and investigating its clinical efficacy.

Patients and methods: A retrospective study was conducted on five patients with multiplanar angular deformities of the lower extremity combined with limb shortening(n=5). The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of computer-assisted preoperative design planning and 3D-printed surgical guide fabrication in guiding precise orthopedic procedures. The study compared various parameters, including femoral or tibial cross-sections, coronal and sagittal deformities, limb length, modified Barthel Index, and post-operative complications.

Results: Five patients were granted 17.20±6.83 months of follow-up after surgery, with adequate correction of lower limb deformity, significant improvement in postoperative self-care ability improved Barthel index 90±3.08 points (P<0.05). One patient experienced postoperative wound pain at 3 months, which subsequently diminished significantly by the 4-month follow-up assessment., four cases had no complications.

Conclusions: The new surgical method of digital technology-assisted "Z" osteotomy for correction of complex deformities of the lower limbs has remarkable clinical results, can accurately correct multi-planar angular deformities and realize limb lengthening at the same time, being safe and reliable.