Safety and Efficacy of Bilateral Epiphysiodesis Surgery to Reduce Final Height in Extremely Tall Adolescents - A Follow-up Study

Treatment options in patients with extreme tall stature are limited. Bilateral epiphysiodesis has emerged as a possible treatment method aiming to reduce final height. However, there is still insufficient data on long-term safety and final height outcome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of bilateral epiphysiodesis to reduce final adult height in tall adolescents. The study population consisted of 72 patients with extreme tall stature who were followed at the Pediatric Endocrine Clinic at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden) and subsequently underwent bilateral epiphysiodesis around the knees (girls n=45, boys n=27). When compared to the final height prediction at time of surgery, the procedure significantly reduced the achieved final height by a mean of 3.6 cm ± 0.4 cm in girls (p