title: Are clinical measurements linked to the gait deviation index in cerebral palsy patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  From a dataset of clinical assessments and gait analysis, this study was designed to determine which of the assessments or their combinations would most influence a low gait index (i.e., severe gait deviations) for individuals with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective search, including clinical and gait assessments, was conducted from August 2005 to September 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and fifty-five individuals with a clinical diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) (mean age (SD): 11 (5.3) years) were selected for the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quinlan's Interactive Dichotomizer 3 algorithm for decision-tree induction, adapted to fuzzy data coding, was employed to predict a Gait Deviation Index (GDI) from a dataset of clinical assessments (i.e., range of motion, muscle strength, and level of spasticity).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven rules that could explain severe gait deviation (a fuzzy GDI low class) were induced. Overall, the fuzzy decision-tree method was highly accurate and permitted us to correctly classify GDI classes 9 out of 10 times using our clinical assessments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an important relationship between clinical parameters and gait analysis. We have identified the main clinical parameters and combinations of these parameters that lead to severe gait deviations. The strength of the hip extensor, the level of spasticity and the strength of the tibialis posterior were the most important clinical parameters for predicting a severe gait deviation.
authors.affiliation: UVHC, LAMIH, F-59313 Valenciennes, France. Yoshimasa.SagawaJunior@univ-valenciennes.fr
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sagawa
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Watelain
authors.forename: Géraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Coulon
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaelin
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorce
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Armand
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000465:Algorithms; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D003663:Decision Trees; D005260:Female; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies