Open AccessHistorical Persepective: Gavriil Ilizarov, MD
Author(s) -
Christopher Iobst,
Alexander Cherkashin,
Robert Wigginton
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of the pediatric orthopaedic society of north america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2768-2765
DOI - 10.55275/jposna-2022-0010
Subject(s) - traumatology , orthopedic surgery , ilizarov technique , external fixator , medicine , distraction , external fixation , surgery , general surgery , psychology , neuroscience
Gavriil Ilizarov (1921-1992) would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2021. His contributions to the field of orthopaedic surgery are simply extraordinary. While he is most famous for the circular external fixator system that bears his name, his principles of distraction osteogenesis revolutionized the field of limb lengthening and reconstruction. Despite having no formal education in orthopaedics, he developed a method that became so successful that an 800-bed orthopaedic hospital was built for him in Kurgan, Siberia. The Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics became the largest orthopaedic clinic in the world.