The device for treating fractures was invented by the doctor Ilizarov (Elizarov). The device is made of four rods connected by two rings in which the spokes are crossed tightly, crossed. Even in ancient times, the Egyptians bandaged the fracture sites with palm leaves, and a little later plaster bandages appeared. Then came the era of osteosynthesis, when spokes or pins were driven into a bone, and also a fracture was fastened with wire, metal plates, ribbons and screws. However, all methods were not effective enough, since they did not provide rigid fixation of the fragments.
The invention of the apparatus
The rural doctor Ilizarov (Elizarov) found a way out of the situation. The device was originally a construction of ordinary knitting needles with which the doctor experimented in a rural hospital. The device is made so that the broken bones are pierced by metal spokes located at right angles. They are tightly stretched and fixed in two rings connected by four rods, which allows fixing the fragments so firmly that the patient can get out of bed already on the second day after the operation. The clear advantage of the treatment that was proposed by Ilizarov (Elizarov) is that the apparatus helps the patient to walk, thanks to which muscles work, breathes the skin, and blood circulation functions correctly. Patients recover two to three times faster. The compression method of bone compression was supplemented by distraction, or stretching. The Elizarov apparatus, the implantation operation of which is carried out under general or spinal anesthesia and usually takes place without serious complications, allows you to stretch the fragments slowly, a millimeter per day, moving them away so that the space between them is filled with bone substance, i.e., the bone can be consolidated.
Features
The regenerative capacity of the bone is higher than other tissues of our body. New bone tissue can be distinguished from old only by performing histological analysis. The elimination of numerous congenital defects of the limbs also became a reality thanks to the device proposed by Ilizarov (Elizarov). The device is easily implanted, the procedure is almost bloodless.
Modifications
Many models of the apparatus are known, given that a person has many large and small bones, joints, and they can be damaged in different places.
This explains the fact that various complications occur during the treatment process, therefore the approach should be strictly individual. The same applies to birth defects, which are also many. Each pathology is a specific tragedy.
And it is important to determine the most optimal, convenient and effective method of treatment, select the appropriate model and develop the most correct technique for applying the apparatus. The cost of the apparatus of Elizarov (Ilizarov) depends on the configuration and location of the fracture. As a rule, this is a negotiable toolkit that is the property of the hospital's trauma unit. Modern modifications of the device are somewhat different from the very first model. Dr. Ilizarov unified its nodes. The device is similar to a children's designer from a small number of individual parts. Many varieties
of the Ilizarov apparatus can be assembled from a specific set of half rings and rods. It all depends on the specific case and the professionalism of the doctor who treats fractures.