Topic: Lumiere - External Tibiae with Dr. M. Catagni (Italy) (Read 75972 times)

lumiere · « **on:** April 27, 2015, 04:14:27 PM »

Hey guys,

this is just to share my LL experience with dott. M. Catagni (Lecco, Italy). Below some information:

Initial height: 163.5cm
Date of operation: 5th March 2015
Start lenghening at 20th March
Lengthening ratio: 0.75mm/day (I have one ostheotomy in my tibiae and one in my fibulae)
Target lengthening: minimum 6cm, max 7.5 cm

I'm now at 29mm.

Lumiere

KrP1 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 27, 2015, 04:53:58 PM »

hi lumiere, you are the first diary of dr Catagni , thank you for share your experience with us , hope everything goes well in your journey

just_me · « **Reply #2 on:** April 27, 2015, 05:09:42 PM »

What lengthening device are you using?

just_me · « **Reply #3 on:** April 27, 2015, 05:12:00 PM »

Ups.. sorry I can see you are using external. Good luck.

lumiere · « **Reply #4 on:** April 27, 2015, 06:05:16 PM »

If you have any question just ask

Lumiere

unhappy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 27, 2015, 07:03:00 PM »

price for surgery in italy

?

KiloKAHN · « **Reply #6 on:** April 27, 2015, 07:11:06 PM »

Awesome to have an account from Dr Catagni. I've always been very interested in this doctor. How would you describe him? Is he attentive to your needs and easily reachable if you have a problem?

How are you managing pain so far?

lumiere · « **Reply #7 on:** April 27, 2015, 10:02:51 PM »

Unhappy: I spent 20k euros for the surgery and three days in hospital

KiloKhan: He's really professional, you can read his cv, he's basically one of the world most experienced doctor with Ilizarov fixation. He's pretty busy quite everytime, I have face to face meeting scheduled every month, and for general question we use email. I have no pain at all, but maybe I'm just lucky and I have an high pain tollerance... Or maybe it's because his know-how with ilizarov fixation.

Lumiere

unhappy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 27, 2015, 11:22:33 PM »

Ilizarov fixation at 20k is expensive

lumiere · « **Reply #9 on:** April 28, 2015, 07:24:54 AM »

Yes it is, compared to other doctors prices...

Lumiere

heightangel · « **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2015, 07:11:38 PM »

Yeah, expensive... and I don't know if it's worth it. Italy for surgery? I'm not sure... Mediterranean countries are good for living but not for surgeries.

G-Man · « **Reply #11 on:** May 01, 2015, 08:10:19 AM »

Quote from: heightangel on April 30, 2015, 07:11:38 PM

Yeah, expensive... and I don't know if it's worth it. Italy for surgery? I'm not sure... Mediterranean countries are good for living but not for surgeries.

Based on... the position of the moon that you're orbiting around?

crimsontide · « **Reply #12 on:** May 01, 2015, 08:32:51 AM »

guichet does his surgeries in italy...

and france is also a mediterranean nation.. italians are some of the most intelligent people in the world.

heightangel has a bizarre obsession with certain european nations

catagni is one of the best

lumiere · « **Reply #13 on:** May 01, 2015, 09:52:10 AM »

Dott. M. Catagni is one of the most experienced doctor in the world with external fixation! He basically teached this method to a lot of asian doctors and also to dott. Paley (check it in dott. Paley website

)
Here his CV if you are interested: http://www.gvmnet.it/uploads/b4/a4/b4a40da51ffb0f088047e2117ea31c38/catagni.pdf
Going through my experience, I can tell you that Limbs Lenghtening for cosmetical reasons is very challenging and requires a big effort, for the one who decide to undergo through it and for his family/friends, because during the treatment you will be heavily dependent to others. I am very happy that I found funds and working conditions that permit me to go with that, but I would say that for me the height has been a very big deal, and I would recomend it only to people who REALLY is in pain with their height and to who tried to solve his psycological problem with the help of friends, his family and also a prycologist (as I did).
I'm very happy right now in prospective, but I can't wait to get my frames off and come back to my life.
Here is a picture of my legs at +32mm:

and this is an x-ray at +18mm (about 40 days post op and 30 days after the beginning of lengthening):

Lumiere

lumiere · « **Reply #14 on:** May 01, 2015, 10:06:10 AM »

Here
http://www.bjj.boneandjoint.org.uk/content/87-B/10/1402.long
you can find a very interesting study from Catagni and his team. It is of a few years ago but it's very interesting in my opinion

Lumiere

G-Man · « **Reply #15 on:** May 01, 2015, 09:34:21 PM »

Nice frames! Designed by Pininfarina?

crimsontide · « **Reply #16 on:** May 01, 2015, 10:02:09 PM »

why does he use 4 rings??? and the bolts going into the legs look quite large

are the scars going to be worse than usual?

lumiere · « **Reply #17 on:** May 02, 2015, 09:00:43 AM »

Ahah, nice G-Man

crimsontide: Ilizarov fixation of Catagni is an hybrid technique, he uses 3 different types of wire: the "big" one you noticed from the pictures enters into the bone, pass it but don't go through the whole leg (as you can see from the X-Ray), then there are two types of "small" wires, one is a little bigger than the other and his purpose is to mantein the fibula in place, the last one is a wire pulled in tension and that pass through the whole leg. I have no idea of why Catagni developed this technique, probably it's more stable? No idea, I should ask for it... About scars, Catagni assures me that they will be minimal.

Lumiere

just_me · « **Reply #18 on:** May 02, 2015, 09:28:17 AM »

1) Is it possible to stay longer than three days at the hospital?
2) Did you stay in a hotel after you left the hospital?
3) Did you fly to Milano and then drove by car/train to get to the hospital in Lecco?
4) Did you transfer your payment for the surgery to the hospital's account or to Dr. Catagni's account?
5) Do you send your x-rays to Dr. Catagni per mail and how often do you do that?

lumiere · « **Reply #19 on:** May 02, 2015, 09:54:56 AM »

Quote from: just_me on May 02, 2015, 09:28:17 AM

1) Is it possible to stay longer than three days at the hospital?
2) Did you stay in a hotel after you left the hospital?
3) Did you fly to Milano and then drove by car/train to get to the hospital in Lecco?
4) Did you transfer your payment for the surgery to the hospital's account or to Dr. Catagni's account?
5) Do you send your x-rays to Dr. Catagni per mail and how often do you do that?

1) The 20k€ price is for three days in hospital, if you would stay more sure you can, but you have to pay for the extra days
2 and 3) I'm italian, and I live not too far from Lecco, about 2 hours driving, so I went there with my family by car, and now I'm lengthening I'm staying at my family's place
4) I paid with checks: one to Catagni and one to the hospital
5) I have monthly scheduled meetings with Catagni at Lecco, at the Mangioni Hospital, there I have the X-Rays done and after that the consultation, in which he checks my legs and the X-Rays

Lumiere

just_me · « **Reply #20 on:** May 02, 2015, 10:43:02 AM »

Thank Lumiere - Good Luck.

lumiere · « **Reply #21 on:** May 12, 2015, 04:32:24 PM »

Hey,

I just had my second consultation with Catagni, everything is going well so far, my bones are a bit disaligned due to the stress because of the bearing but the doctor told me that he will fix it when the lengthening is finished. I'm now at 4.0 cm, Catagni is pushing me to go for 8 cm, but I think I'll be fine with 6.5, 7.0 at maximum.

I have the X-Rays but I'm lazy to upload them right now, maybe next days.

Lumiere

just_me · « **Reply #22 on:** May 12, 2015, 05:12:36 PM »

Good everything is going well. How is your walking?

lumiere · « **Reply #23 on:** May 12, 2015, 06:07:50 PM »

I'm able to walk since the third day after surgery, with crutches... I tipically go out for dinner once a week, with a cab, but I can walk around downtown pretty easily...

Lumiere

KrP1 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 17, 2015, 10:14:18 PM »

Date of operation: 5th March 2015
Start lenghening at 20th March

why did you wait 15 days to start lengthening?

lumiere · « **Reply #25 on:** May 18, 2015, 07:17:37 AM »

Quote from: KrP1 on May 17, 2015, 10:14:18 PM

Date of operation: 5th March 2015
Start lenghening at 20th March

why did you wait 15 days to start lengthening?

Hi KrP1,

I just followed Catagni's instructions, I don't really know why...

Lumiere

lumiere · « **Reply #26 on:** May 18, 2015, 06:08:32 PM »

I'm at +45mm today and my legs are really sore... I read somewhere that tipically pain start at 50mm, I'm there... If pain doens't go away, I think I could ask Catagni to reduce the lengthening ratio from .75/day to .50/day...

Question: any of you who lengthened had problem trying to sleep at night? How did you manage it?

Lumiere

Medium Drink Of Water · « **Reply #27 on:** May 18, 2015, 11:31:43 PM »

Quote from: lumiere on May 18, 2015, 06:08:32 PM

Question: any of you who lengthened had problem trying to sleep at night? How did you manage it?

Clonazepam and trazodone.

lumiere · « **Reply #28 on:** May 22, 2015, 04:13:50 PM »

Hey folks,

this is me standing at +48 mm.

Ciao,

Lumiere

spaller2015 · « **Reply #29 on:** May 22, 2015, 11:34:07 PM »

Congrats bro
I live in Italy. Would you recommend this doctor then?

lumiere · « **Reply #30 on:** May 23, 2015, 09:37:02 AM »

Quote from: spaller2015 on May 22, 2015, 11:34:07 PM

Congrats bro
I live in Italy. Would you recommend this doctor then?

Yes I would, the surgery it's a little bit expensive but I'm happy with my choice up to now..

What do you guys think about my proportions? I think I could go with 2 cm more, going to about 7...

Lumiere

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Author Topic: Lumiere - External Tibiae with Dr. M. Catagni (Italy) (Read 75972 times)

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