AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Dror Paley, M.D., FRCSC, is the director of the Paley Advanced Limb Lengthening
Institute at
St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Paley was the founder and
director of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics and the co-director of the
International Center for Limb Lengthening until May 2009. Prior to that he was the Chief
of Pediatric Orthopedics at the University of Maryland in Baltimore 1987-2001. He is
internationally recognized for his expertise in limb lengthening and reconstruction. Dr
Paley trained under the guidance of Professor Ilizarov of Russia (Ilizarov method) and
Professor Debastiani of Italy (Orthofix method). In 1986, he introduced the Ilizarov
method to the US and Canada. Since that time, he has performed more than 17,000
limb lengthening and reconstruction-related procedures on patients from all over the
United States and from more than 70 countries from six continents.
Delivering Innovative Solutions
Dr. Paley has developed more than 100 new operative procedures for bone and soft
tissue reconstruction of congenital, developmental and post-traumatic limb disorders. (e.
g. superhip procedure, superknee procedure, superankle procedure, ulnarization,
percutaneous Gigli saw osteotomy, focal dome osteotomy, angulation-translation
osteotomy, etc). His new methods to lengthen and/or straighten deformed bones and
to reconstruct congenital short limbs (LRS) avoid amputation, a frequently
recommended alternative. The results of LRS for conditions such as fibular hemimelia,
tibial hemimelia and congenital femoral deficiency have given children who would have
otherwise lost their legs, excellent function without the need for a prosthesis.
Furthermore the methods used to classify these conditions now bear his name.
Dror Paley, M.D., FRCSC, is the director of the Paley Advanced Limb Lengthening
Institute at
St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Paley was the founder and
director of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics and the co-director of the
International Center for Limb Lengthening until May 2009. Prior to that he was the Chief
of Pediatric Orthopedics at the University of Maryland in Baltimore 1987-2001. He is
internationally recognized for his expertise in limb lengthening and reconstruction. Dr
Paley trained under the guidance of Professor Ilizarov of Russia (Ilizarov method) and
Professor Debastiani of Italy (Orthofix method). In 1986, he introduced the Ilizarov
method to the US and Canada. Since that time, he has performed more than 17,000
limb lengthening and reconstruction-related procedures on patients from all over the
United States and from more than 70 countries from six continents.
Delivering Innovative Solutions
Dr. Paley has developed more than 100 new operative procedures for bone and soft
tissue reconstruction of congenital, developmental and post-traumatic limb disorders. (e.
g. superhip procedure, superknee procedure, superankle procedure, ulnarization,
percutaneous Gigli saw osteotomy, focal dome osteotomy, angulation-translation
osteotomy, etc). His new methods to lengthen and/or straighten deformed bones and
to reconstruct congenital short limbs (LRS) avoid amputation, a frequently
recommended alternative. The results of LRS for conditions such as fibular hemimelia,
tibial hemimelia and congenital femoral deficiency have given children who would have
otherwise lost their legs, excellent function without the need for a prosthesis.
Furthermore the methods used to classify these conditions now bear his name.
Dr. Paley has also discovered a new, simple, but accurate method for prediction of leg length discrepancy and height at skeletal maturity. The
Multiplier method has replaced the previous more complicated methods. His method for using a combination of an intramedullary rod and an
external fixator (LON and FAN of deformities) has shortened the treatment time required with an external fixator while maintaining the accuracy
of correction. Dr Paley is also currently the most experienced surgeon using fully implantable limb lengthening.
Perhaps his most noteworthy contribution to medicine is the science of limb deformity correction. This is published in his 800-page textbook,
Principles of Deformity Correction (Springer Verlag, 2002). This book has been reprinted 4 times and is considered an orthopedic best seller.
Treatment for Special Orthopedic Conditions
Dr. Paley’s expertise extends equally to children and adults, as well as for the upper and lower extremities. He specializes in the
diagnosis and treatment of:
Congenital lower limb deformities (eg., congenital femoral deficiency [PFFD], hemihypertrophy, fibular hemimelia, tibial hemimelia,
posteromedial tibial bow, congenital dislocation of patella, congenital pterygium of knee, congenital pseudarthrosis)
Congenital upper limb deformities (e.g., short humerus and forearm, radial clubhand, ulnar clubhand, radiohumeral synostosis,
radioulnar synostosis, syndactyly, absent thumb, polydactyly, congenital pterigium of elbow)
Other upper and lower limb deformities due to: growth arrest, fractures, radiation, infection.
Post-traumatic limb deformities and leg length discrepancies (e.g., malunion)
Bone healing problems (e.g., problem fractures, delayed union, nonunion, congenital pseudoarthrosis)
Bone defects, bone and joint infections (e.g., osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, sequellae of neonatal sepsis)
Skeletal dysplasias (e.g., achondroplasia, hypochondroplasia, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, pseudoachondroplasia,
chondrometaphyseal dypslasia, mesomelic dysplasia, Ellis-van Creveld, melorheostosis, diastrophic dwarfism)
Tumor-like conditions (e.g., fibrous dysplasia, neurofibromatosis, multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE), Ollier’s disease)
Metabolic disorders (e.g., rickets, Paget’s disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, osteopetrosis)
Other miscellaneous developmental deformities (e.g., Blount’s disease, growth arrest, neonatal sepsis sequelae)
Joint contractures and joint stiffness (e.g., Perthes disease, knee and ankle arthritis)
Foot deformities (e.g., clubfoot, vertical talus, dropfoot, equinus, flatfoot, short metatarsals (brachymetatarsia), Charcot-Marie-
Tooth disease)
Hip dysplasia in young adults and neonatal septic hip sequellae
Short residual limb following amputation
Joint preservation for arthritis of the hip, knee and ankle
Peripheral nerve disorders (e.g., nerve entrapment)
Constitutional short stature
Dedication to Teaching
Dr. Paley organized the first Ilizarov course in 1987 and the first ASAMI North America (Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction
Society) meeting in 1989. He served as the first president of this subspecialty society. He organizes and runs the
internationally attended Annual Baltimore Limb Deformity Course since 1989. He has lectured and demonstrated surgery in
more than 50 countries and provides training for specialists from around the world through a fellowship program.
Academic and Other Credentials
Dror Paley, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and the most experienced surgeon in the United
States in limb lengthening and deformity correction. A partial listing of Dr Paley’s credentials include:
Dr. Paley has won several awards, including a Gubernatorial Citation for Outstanding Contributions in Orthopedic surgery in
1990 by the Governor of Maryland and the Pauwel’s Medial in Clinical Biomechanics in 1997 by the German-Speaking Countries
Orthopedic Association. Best paper/poster award by SICOT, AAOS, POSNA, AORS. His book was also awarded the best
illustrated medical textbook in 2003.
Governors citation link
ABOS certificates link
Dr. Paley also initiated and organized the Save-a-Limb Fund and the annual Save a Limb fundraising bike ride.
He has published over 100 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and has authored and edited 5 books and 33 book chapters.
His latest book, Principles of Deformity Correction, has set a new standard in the understanding and treatment of limb
deformities. He is currently completing a book on the Congenital Lower Limb Deformities.
He was professor of Orthopedics, chief of Pediatric Orthopedics and co-director and founder of the Maryland Center for Limb
Lengthening and Reconstruction at the University of Maryland between 1987-2001. On more than one occasion, he was
awarded the Orthopedic Residents Best Teacher Award.
He obtained subspecialty fellowship training over the course of three years in Pediatric Orthopedics, Hand Surgery, Trauma
Surgery and Limb Lengthening and External Fixation Surgery. He was also awarded the AOA-COA North American Travelling
Fellowship.
Dr. Paley completed his internship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1980, and his orthopedic surgery residency at
The University of Toronto Hospitals in 1985.
He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Canada in 1979.
More about Dr. Paley:
Dr. Paley grew up in Canada and moved to the United States in 1987. He has three children, Benjamin, Jonathan and Aviva. He
enjoys fitness training, biking, skiing, rock climbing, scuba diving, nature photography and studying history. He is fluent and
lectures in six languages – English, Hebrew, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian.
Multiplier method has replaced the previous more complicated methods. His method for using a combination of an intramedullary rod and an
external fixator (LON and FAN of deformities) has shortened the treatment time required with an external fixator while maintaining the accuracy
of correction. Dr Paley is also currently the most experienced surgeon using fully implantable limb lengthening.
Perhaps his most noteworthy contribution to medicine is the science of limb deformity correction. This is published in his 800-page textbook,
Principles of Deformity Correction (Springer Verlag, 2002). This book has been reprinted 4 times and is considered an orthopedic best seller.
Treatment for Special Orthopedic Conditions
Dr. Paley’s expertise extends equally to children and adults, as well as for the upper and lower extremities. He specializes in the
diagnosis and treatment of:
Congenital lower limb deformities (eg., congenital femoral deficiency [PFFD], hemihypertrophy, fibular hemimelia, tibial hemimelia,
posteromedial tibial bow, congenital dislocation of patella, congenital pterygium of knee, congenital pseudarthrosis)
Congenital upper limb deformities (e.g., short humerus and forearm, radial clubhand, ulnar clubhand, radiohumeral synostosis,
radioulnar synostosis, syndactyly, absent thumb, polydactyly, congenital pterigium of elbow)
Other upper and lower limb deformities due to: growth arrest, fractures, radiation, infection.
Post-traumatic limb deformities and leg length discrepancies (e.g., malunion)
Bone healing problems (e.g., problem fractures, delayed union, nonunion, congenital pseudoarthrosis)
Bone defects, bone and joint infections (e.g., osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, sequellae of neonatal sepsis)
Skeletal dysplasias (e.g., achondroplasia, hypochondroplasia, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, pseudoachondroplasia,
chondrometaphyseal dypslasia, mesomelic dysplasia, Ellis-van Creveld, melorheostosis, diastrophic dwarfism)
Tumor-like conditions (e.g., fibrous dysplasia, neurofibromatosis, multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE), Ollier’s disease)
Metabolic disorders (e.g., rickets, Paget’s disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, osteopetrosis)
Other miscellaneous developmental deformities (e.g., Blount’s disease, growth arrest, neonatal sepsis sequelae)
Joint contractures and joint stiffness (e.g., Perthes disease, knee and ankle arthritis)
Foot deformities (e.g., clubfoot, vertical talus, dropfoot, equinus, flatfoot, short metatarsals (brachymetatarsia), Charcot-Marie-
Tooth disease)
Hip dysplasia in young adults and neonatal septic hip sequellae
Short residual limb following amputation
Joint preservation for arthritis of the hip, knee and ankle
Peripheral nerve disorders (e.g., nerve entrapment)
Constitutional short stature
Dedication to Teaching
Dr. Paley organized the first Ilizarov course in 1987 and the first ASAMI North America (Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction
Society) meeting in 1989. He served as the first president of this subspecialty society. He organizes and runs the
internationally attended Annual Baltimore Limb Deformity Course since 1989. He has lectured and demonstrated surgery in
more than 50 countries and provides training for specialists from around the world through a fellowship program.
Academic and Other Credentials
Dror Paley, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and the most experienced surgeon in the United
States in limb lengthening and deformity correction. A partial listing of Dr Paley’s credentials include:
Dr. Paley has won several awards, including a Gubernatorial Citation for Outstanding Contributions in Orthopedic surgery in
1990 by the Governor of Maryland and the Pauwel’s Medial in Clinical Biomechanics in 1997 by the German-Speaking Countries
Orthopedic Association. Best paper/poster award by SICOT, AAOS, POSNA, AORS. His book was also awarded the best
illustrated medical textbook in 2003.
Governors citation link
ABOS certificates link
Dr. Paley also initiated and organized the Save-a-Limb Fund and the annual Save a Limb fundraising bike ride.
He has published over 100 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and has authored and edited 5 books and 33 book chapters.
His latest book, Principles of Deformity Correction, has set a new standard in the understanding and treatment of limb
deformities. He is currently completing a book on the Congenital Lower Limb Deformities.
He was professor of Orthopedics, chief of Pediatric Orthopedics and co-director and founder of the Maryland Center for Limb
Lengthening and Reconstruction at the University of Maryland between 1987-2001. On more than one occasion, he was
awarded the Orthopedic Residents Best Teacher Award.
He obtained subspecialty fellowship training over the course of three years in Pediatric Orthopedics, Hand Surgery, Trauma
Surgery and Limb Lengthening and External Fixation Surgery. He was also awarded the AOA-COA North American Travelling
Fellowship.
Dr. Paley completed his internship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1980, and his orthopedic surgery residency at
The University of Toronto Hospitals in 1985.
He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Canada in 1979.
More about Dr. Paley:
Dr. Paley grew up in Canada and moved to the United States in 1987. He has three children, Benjamin, Jonathan and Aviva. He
enjoys fitness training, biking, skiing, rock climbing, scuba diving, nature photography and studying history. He is fluent and
lectures in six languages – English, Hebrew, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian.
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Limb Lengthening.us
Dror Paley, MD, FRCSC
Dror Paley, MD, FRCSC
| ORTHOPEDIC EDUCATIONAL SITE BY THE MOST EXPERIENCED LIMB LENGTHENING SURGEON IN THE WORLD |
Paley Institute Surgical Limb Reconstruction Fellowship Program
This UNIQUE fellowship is designed for orthopedic surgeons interested in
developing an expertise in pediatric and adult limb reconstruction/deformity
surgery of the lower and upper extremities. For more information Click Here
developing an expertise in pediatric and adult limb reconstruction/deformity
surgery of the lower and upper extremities. For more information Click Here
