Professor Kevin Tetsworth

Biography

Professor Kevin Tetsworth is an orthopaedic surgeon with a subspecialty focus on limb reconstruction, deformity correction, complex revision surgery, and orthopaedic infection. He takes on cases of considerable complexity — including situations where previous surgical interventions have not achieved the expected outcome — and receives referrals from across Australia and internationally for limb reconstruction, stature lengthening, revision lengthening, and infected joint replacement.

Professor Tetsworth trained in the United States under Professor Dror Paley at the University of Maryland in Baltimore — completing a full-year Ilizarov reconstructive surgery fellowship with one of the most cited authorities in limb lengthening and deformity correction. He subsequently trained under Dr George Cierny in Atlanta, Georgia, specialising in the surgical management of osteomyelitis and chronic musculoskeletal infection. He practised at the University of Maryland for almost a decade before relocating to Australia in 2000.

He holds the CONROD Chair in Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital — a senior academic and surgical appointment reflecting the breadth and depth of his reconstructive experience. In his career, he has treated more than 2,000 cases of chronic bone infection and has performed more than 1,000 limb lengthening procedures using Ilizarov’s principles of distraction osteogenesis. He has been using external fixation techniques since 1990 and intramedullary telescopic lengthening nails since 1994.

Professor Tetsworth performs both functional and stature lengthening surgery, and receives referrals for complex lengthening cases requiring revision or secondary reconstruction — including cases originating from previous procedures elsewhere. Together with Professor Al Muderis, he brings exceptional depth in complex limb reconstruction to Sydney Advanced Orthopaedics.

He has authored more than 180 publications — including over 100 peer-reviewed papers, 16 book chapters, and one book — and is active across more than 40 research projects spanning limb reconstruction, orthopaedic infection, trauma, 3D modelling, and osseointegration. Professor Tetsworth consults at Sydney Advanced Orthopaedics by appointment.

Areas of Expertise

Limb Reconstruction

• Post-traumatic limb reconstruction including segmental bone defects
• Complex deformity correction — angular, rotational, combined
• Reconstruction following previous failed surgical procedures
• Malunion and nonunion treatment

Stature & Functional Lengthening

• Stature lengthening surgery
• Functional limb lengthening (leg length discrepancy)
• Revision and secondary lengthening cases
• Intramedullary telescopic nail technique (PRECICE and equivalent)
• Ilizarov distraction osteogenesis

Complex Revision Surgery

• Staged revision of failed hip and knee replacements
• Revision surgery following infection, mechanical failure, or poor outcome
• Complex cases referred from other surgeons

Orthopaedic Infection

• Chronic osteomyelitis and bone infection
• Prosthetic joint infection
• Infected joint replacement — staged surgical management
• Collaboration with Infectious Diseases specialists for complex cases

Trauma & Reconstruction

• High-energy trauma and complex periarticular fractures
• External fixation (Ilizarov frames)
• Post-traumatic reconstruction

Technology & Planning

• 3D computer modelling for complex deformity analysis
• Custom 3D-printed titanium implants for complex reconstruction
• Pre-operative virtual surgical planning

Qualifications & Training

• MD
• FRACS (Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons)
• FAAOS (Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Ilizarov Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship — Prof. Dror Paley, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland (one year)
• Musculoskeletal Infection & Osteomyelitis Fellowship — Dr George Cierny, Atlanta, Georgia
• Member, Australian Orthopaedic Association
• Member, International Orthopaedic Trauma Association
• CONROD Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

Hospital Affiliations

• Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), Brisbane — CONROD Professor and Staff Surgeon
• Wesley Hospital, Brisbane
• Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney

Research & Publications

Professor Tetsworth has authored more than 180 publications, including over 100 peer-reviewed papers, 16 book chapters, and one book. He is active across more than 40 research projects spanning limb reconstruction, orthopaedic infection, post-traumatic reconstruction, 3D modelling and printing, and osseointegration for amputees.

Selected publications:

• Tetsworth K, Block S, Glatt V. Putting 3D modelling and 3D printing into practice: virtual surgery and preoperative planning to reconstruct complex post-traumatic skeletal deformities and defects. SICOT-J. 2017. PubMed ↗
• Tetsworth K, Krome J, Paley D. Lengthening and deformity correction of the upper extremity by the Ilizarov technique. Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 1991. PubMed ↗
• Hoellwarth JS, Tetsworth K, Rozbruch SR, et al. Osseointegration for Amputees: Current Implants, Techniques, and Future Directions. JBJS Reviews. 2020. PubMed ↗

Full publication list: Google Scholar ↗ · ScienceDirect ↗