The aetiology of angular deformities of the lower limb in children in Malawi: a review of 35 patients.

The aetiology of 35 Malawian children with angular deformities of the lower limb, including 18 with varus,13 with valgus and four with windswept deformities, was assessed prior to surgical correction by proximal tibial or distal femoral osteotomies. Among the varus limbs, the aetiologies were ligamentous laxity of the knee (7), lesions of the medial tibial metaphysis (3), bowing of the femora and tibiae (3), and there were two girls with the end stage of Blount's disease. Among the valgus patients, eight had extremes of physiological knock knee and five had valgus bowing of the femora or tibiae.