Journal of children's orthopaedics
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Circular external fixators have several advantages over other surgical options in the treatment of limb length discrepancy and axial deformity. The innovative Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) combines a rigid hexapod fixation system with the support of a web-based software program, and thus offers the possibility of simultaneous corrections of multidirectional deformities. Whilst there is still some scepticism of many Ilizarov device users about the advantages of the TSF, the purpose of the study was to perform a comparison between the TSF and the Ilizarov ring fixator (IRF) with regard to the accuracy of deformity correction in the lower limb. ⋯ The TSF allowed for much higher precision in deformity correction compared to the IRF. In two-, three- and four-dimensional deformity corrections in particular, the TSF showed clear advantages. This may derive from the TSF-specific combination of a hexapod fixator with the support of an Internet-based software program, enabling precise simultaneous multiplanar deformity corrections.