title: Functional gains after surgical procedures in spastic upper extremity: a comparative study between children and adults.
abstract: Thirty-four patients with spastic upper extremity secondary to cerebral palsy underwent operative treatment with bony and soft tissue procedures including osteotomies, capsulotomies tendon transfers, lengthening and releases. The follow-up ranged from 24 months to 9 years with a mean of 52 months. For the evaluation of the surgical outcome patients were classified into two age groups, one younger (4-14 years) and one older (15-34 years). All patients in both the groups presented with significant improvement postoperatively. Patients who were operated early (first group) had statistically better results in a series of tasks that were used for evaluation. We suggest early intervention with all necessary surgical steps which should be individualized depending on patient's situation and needs.
authors.affiliation: Hand Surgery and Microsurgery Unit, Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessalia, Larissa, Greece. malizos@med.uth.gr
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Malizos
authors.forename: Athanasios K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Liantsis
authors.forename: Sokratis E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Varitimidis
authors.forename: Zoe H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Dailiana
authors.forename: Nikolaos S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Rigopoulos
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017746:Joint Capsule / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010027:Osteotomy; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013709:Tendon Transfer; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult