Management of Osteogenesis Imperfecta in India

Surgical treatment of children with OI in India often needs to be tailored to the needs of patients who have limited finances and access to care. The surgeon needs to find ways of reducing costs and also deal with the consequences of delay in treatment due to financial constraints. Costs can be reduced considerably by using inexpensive implants and simple techniques; an example is dual Rush rodding of the femur. Delayed treatment may result in severe deformities and the surgeon needs to be conversant with techniques to deal with them. The surgeon needs to be aware of complications that can develop due to delay in treatment of fractures and treat such fractures early in order to prevent serious complications that are difficult to treat; an example is intramedullary rodding of a humeral fracture to prevent a gap non-union of the humerus. Finally, the surgeon dealing with OI should be aware of the extremely debilitating consequences and the very poor quality of life of patients with severe OI who have had no access to treatment.