Boy is first in UK to have pioneering leg-lengthening surgery.

A nine-year-old boy at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital underwent the UK’s first surface-mounted, magnet-driven femur lengthening and gained about 3cm; the hospital has since used the technique on three other children.

A nine-year-old boy from Northampton, diagnosed with the rare condition fibular hemimelia, has had the first UK operation using a surface-mounted, magnet-driven leg-lengthening nail. The operation took place at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in March 2025 and the child spent less than a week in hospital. The treatment used a motorised telescopic nail placed on the thigh bone and magnets applied externally over a period of weeks to lengthen the limb. Doctors reported the child has returned to normal activities and the hospital has since offered the technique to other patients. Key details: - Patient: nine-year-old boy with fibular hemimelia, a condition affecting limb development. - Initial reported gain: about 3cm, with specialists later measuring a 4cm difference and projecting up to 6cm by full growth. - Procedure timing: operation in March 2025, with a hospital stay of less than a week. - Technique: a motorised telescopic nail placed on the surface of the femur and lengthened using an external magnetic device applied multiple times daily; lengthening progressed at roughly 1mm per day over several weeks. - Recovery: weekly physiotherapy and clinical reviews during a lengthening phase of around six weeks; the implant was removed three to four months after the operation. - Wider use: Alder Hey has performed the technique on three other children and other specialist centres in the UK are preparing to offer it. Summary: The hospital reports the child recovered well and has resumed usual activities, including sports. The technique, developed in the United States and adapted for children at Alder Hey, has been used on additional paediatric patients and other centres are preparing to adopt it. Further lengthening of the shin may be needed for this child in the future. Undetermined at this time if or when other centres will begin routine use.