Early semiclosed intramedullary stabilization in osteogenesis imperfecta.

Fourteen patients with severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) were treated operatively by closed or semiclosed intramedullary stabilization, with nonextensible rods and nails. Altogether, 55 bones (both upper and lower limbs) were stabilized primarily. In infants with a severe form of OI (Sillence classification), the operative technique was modified significantly from those presented earlier in the literature. Early intramedullary stabilization, even soon after birth, seems justified in selected patients with severe OI. The possibilities for motor development are improved and later insertion of telescoping nails becomes easier.