Analysis of medium- and long-term effectiveness of selective posterior rhizotomy for spastic cerebral palsy

• Published in: Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi Vol. 27; no. 11; p. 1345
• Main Authors: Jia, Yongzheng, Xiao, Yuzhou, Yang, Wenbin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Adolescent; Cerebral Palsy - complications; Cerebral Palsy - physiopathology; Cerebral Palsy - surgery; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Lower Extremity - physiopathology; Male; Muscle Spasticity - etiology; Muscle Spasticity - surgery; Muscle Strength - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscle, Skeletal - surgery; Reflex, Abnormal - physiology; Retrospective Studies; Rhizotomy - methods; Spinal Nerve Roots - surgery; Treatment Outcome; Walking; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1002-1892

To assess the medium- and long-term effectiveness of selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) for spastic cerebral palsy. A retrospective analysis was made on 27 patients with spastic cerebral palsy undergoing SPR between January 1997 and January 2008, whose data were complete with more than 5 years follow-up. There were 14 males and 13 females with an average age of 10.1 years (range, 4-19 years). All patients had simple spastic cerebral palsy, including 17 cases of bilateral spastic palsy and 10 cases of unilateral spastic palsy. The muscle strength, muscle tone, ambulatory function, the sharp foot and crossing-feet, knee jerk, ankle clonus, and Babinski's sign were evaluated before and after operation. All the patients were followed up 5-16 years (mean, 9.6 years). No obvious limitation of lumbar flexion, extension and lateral flexion, spondylolisthesis, kyphosis, and other deformities occurred. At last follow-up, the muscle strength of hip extensors, hip flexors, and knee extensors were significantly increased