title: Leg lengthening as part of gait improvement surgery in cerebral palsy: an evaluation using gait analysis.
abstract: Eleven children with hemiplegic or an asymmetric diplegic cerebral palsy who had a preoperative leg length discrepancy of more than 2.5 cm underwent gait improvement surgery which included leg length equalisation. Sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics before and about 3 years after surgery for the lengthened limb and contralateral limb were evaluated. Preoperatively the unaffected limb had excessive stance phase flexion at the hip and knee, and dorsal flexion at the ankle joint. These changes could be partially reversed to produce a kinematic gait pattern comparable to age matched normal controls on the uninvolved side after equalisation of leg length.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Orthopaedic Unit, Department of Paediatric Surgery, Karl Franzens University, Auenbruggerplatz 34, A-8036 Graz, Austria. vinay.saraph@meduni-graz.at
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saraph
authors.forename: Ernst Bernhard
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Zwick
authors.forename: Gerhardt
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinwender
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Auner
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Linhart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007870:Leg Length Inequality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care