Limb length and girth discrepancy of unilateral congenital clubfeet.

There have been few reports about hypoplasia of the femur and tibia in congenital clubfeet. The subjects of this study were 38 patients with unilateral congenital clubfoot. All the measurements were significantly less in the affected side than in the normal side. Although the decrease in length itself was higher in the distal segment, the tibial length contributed mostly to limb length shortening. There was no significant difference between male and female patients. Only the tibial length and the calf girth were significantly less in patients who had undergone surgery than in those without. The discrepancies might not improve with growth, as there was no significant difference between bony mature patients and those who were immature. We conclude that hypoplasia of the femur and the tibia, not only the tarsal bones, does exist to some extent, or it can be said that there must be a generalized decrease in limb size in congenital clubfeet.