Vol , Issue Date of Publication: November 11, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2017.009

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Cosmetic limb lengthening in a patient of normal stature: ethical considerations

Karthik Vishwanathan
Somashekhar Nimbalkar
Abstract:
Recently, a 23-year-old male patient underwent cosmetic limb lengthening, despite the fact that his height was that of the average Indian male (5 feet 7 inches). The patient's parents and the media criticised the orthopaedic surgeon who had performed the surgery for undertaking an unethical operation. This paper discusses the relevant clinical evidence, ethical aspects and ethical theories surrounding the case. We conclude that the surgeon's decision to perform the surgery seems to be fair and appropriate from the ethical and clinical perspectives.


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©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2016: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0),
which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

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