Ilizarov was born in the Belorussian town of Belovezh. He graduated from Derbent Medical Rabfac (an educational establishment set up to prepare workers and peasants for higher education) then from Crimea Medical School. In 1944 he was sent to a rural hospital in Kurgan Oblast in Siberia. In 1955 he became the head of Surgery Department of a hospital and a surgeon with the Air ambulance.

His residency was carried out in orthopedic surgery, during which he developed an "external fixator system". In 1961 he created the Kurgan Center of the Restorational Surgery and Orthopedy. he was the head of this center until 1991. It was said that the Center became the largest orthopedic center in the world.

Ilizarov discovered that by carefully severing a bone without severing the periosteum around it, one could separate two halves of a bone slightly and fix them in place, and the bone would grow to fill the gap. He also discovered that bone regrows at a fairly uniform rate across people and circumstances. These experiments led to the design of what is known as an Ilizarov apparatus, which holds a bone so severed in place, by virtue of a framework and pins through the bone, and separates halves of the bone by a tiny amount; by repeating this over time, at the rate of the bone's regrowth, it is possible to extend a bone by a desired amount. This research was introduced to the western world by professor A. Bianchi-Maiocchi.

Ref:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavril_Ilizarov


What is the Ilizarov Method?

The Ilizarov method is widely used to treat complex and/or open bone fractures. This method is preferred over conventional treatment options (such as internal fixator or cast) where there is a high risk of infection or the fracture is of such severity that internal fixators are unworkable.

The device is a specialized form of external fixator, a circular fixator, modular in construct. Instead of the more traditional mololateral fixators, the circular construct, in addition to the novel tensioned wires provides far more structural support. This allows early weight bearing.

The Ilizarov apparatus is a powerful tool, and is not without problem. It is difficult to use, whilst it is minimally invasive in that no large incisions are made and no metalwork is applied directly to the bone, it is not free of complications. Pin site infection is very common, swelling, limb pain and muscle transfixion are all not uncommon.

Ref:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilizarov_apparatus 


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