title: Posterior rhizotomies for spasticity in children affected by cerebral palsy.
abstract: The Authors report their experience on the surgical treatment of spastic syndromes in children affected by cerebral palsy. The series consists of 21 patients: the mean age is 9.3 years. In 18 patients in whom the clinical picture showed spastic paraparesis a posterior selective lumbar rhizotomy was performed: 3 patients with disabling spastic tetraparesis underwent posterior cervical C1-C3 rhizotomy. The follow-up ranges from 4 months to 3 1/2 years. No mortality nor major complications were observed in the entire series. Clinical results can be considered good on the whole; they are related to the motivation to the movement, perceptive deficits, intellectual impairment.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000628:therapy*; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000628:therapy; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000628:therapy; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000601:surgery*; D013577:Syndrome