[A new method for treating the Kirner deformity with the SM-Fix phalangeal distractor].

The Kirner deformity belongs to the rare bony deformities of the small finger. The present treatments range from hemiepiphysiodesis to osteotomy with bone-grafting. We present a ten-year-old girl with a unilateral Kirner deformity treated in a new fashion. Through a distal phalanx osteotomy and the use of a SM-Fix-phalangeal distractor, bridging the distal interphalangeal joint, the axis was corrected. After four to five weeks the defect was filled by callus distraction. The advantage of this method is not only the minimal traumatisation of the juvenile distal phalanx but also the functional and cosmetic results.