Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Live on the Internet

St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth prepares for its third live webcast

St. Mary’s Medical Center is planning to broadcast a pediatric orthopaedic surgery, live on the Internet on Monday, April 30, 2007, at noon. The public will be able to watch doctors perform a pediatric osteotomy surgery, which involves reshaping a child’s leg or arm bones for improved form and function.

Duluth Clinic pediatric orthopaedic surgeon David Gordon, MD, will perform the live procedure. Duluth Clinic orthopaedic surgeons Laura Trombino, MD, and Thomas Patnoe, MD, will help explain the surgery and answer questions as they are e-mailed by viewers. Computer users must have high-speed Internet service and the Real Player program downloaded on their system to view the webcast. 

“When it’s appropriate, an osteotomy procedure can make a big difference in the life of a child,” explains Dr. Gordon.

A child can need an osteotomy procedure for several reasons. Congenital defects, growth abnormalities, and improperly healed fractures can cause a child’s bones to grow out of alignment. When that occurs in the long bones of the leg, it can cause joint deformities of the leg known as valgus (knock knees) or varus (bowed legs). Doctors are concerned this could result in future joint and function problems if not corrected at a young age.

During an osteotomy, Dr. Gordon cuts the misaligned bone. He then rotates the bone if necessary, and adds or removes a wedge of bone to help correct the problem. Dr. Gordon can fix the realigned bone into place in different ways, including systems of internal pins, plates and screws or an external fixator frame.

An osteotomy is also used to correct developmental dysplasia of the hip. This condition is caused by the abnormal development of one or both hip joints. In this case, surgery may involve reshaping of the hip socket or thighbone. Children must often wear a special hard cast after surgery to position the hip joint until it heals.

This is the first live webcast to feature the services offered by St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, which is located at St. Mary’s Medical Center. The Children’s Hospital includes pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, along with access to a wide range of experienced pediatric specialists with expertise in areas like orthopaedics, neurology, and oncology.

“By presenting a pediatric surgery, it’s an opportunity to highlight the breadth and depth of surgical options available to our youngest patients,” explains Dr. Trombino. “Surgery can be a scary prospect for children and their families. We hope this helps them to understand more about the procedure and the team of people caring for their child.”

The osteotomy procedure will be the third live surgical webcast to be broadcast from an operating room at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Patients have also had the opportunity to watch minimally invasive colon surgery and knee-replacement surgery at St. Mary’s. Archives of those webcasts are still available at duluthclinic.org.