Diminished knee flexion after hamstring surgery in cerebral palsy patients: prevalence and severity.
A review of pre- and postoperative prone knee flexion (PKF) data after isolated hamstring tenotomy for 52 patients with cerebral palsy (CP) at an average follow-up of 3 years 4 months showed the frequency of diminished knee flexion to be 71%. Twenty-three percent of the knees actually had improved flexion, whereas 6% were unchanged. On the average, patients' flexion decreased 14.4 degrees from a preoperative PKF of 131.5 degrees to 117.1 degrees postoperatively (p < 0.0001). Only 11.5% of patients had PKF < 90 degrees at most recent follow-up, however; only 1.9% had PKF < 60 degrees. Thirteen percent of ambulators eventually required a rectus femoris transfer to correct "stiff-legged gait."
Damron
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Division of Orthopedics, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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Cook
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D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003286:Contracture / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016684:Prone Position; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013709:Tendon Transfer; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery*; D013848:Thigh