Short femur

Ultrasound shows one of the babies femur bones to be shorter than the other.  It is still growing as of the last ultrasound.  The ultrasound tech said it is about 7 weeks behind the other leg in growth.  My daughter in law is 26 weeks pregnant.  What can be done for the baby if her femur bone is shorter?

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

A femur that is shorter on one side can be an isolated problem, or occasionally seen as part of a syndrome involving other bones or parts of the body.  Decreasing the difference in femur length can done by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.  The parents should request a referral to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon after the baby is born.