Cerebral Palsy-Tendon Transfer Surgery in Upper-Extremity Cerebral Palsy Is More Effective Than Botulinum Toxin Injections or Regular, Ongoing Therapy

Tendon Transfer Surgery in Upper-Extremity Cerebral Palsy Is More Effective Than Botulinum Toxin Injections or Regular, Ongoing Therapy

Back to course

Pdf Summary

Tendon transfer surgery is more effective than botulinum toxin injections or regular therapy for improving function in children with upper-extremity cerebral palsy. This study compared three treatment groups - surgical treatment, botulinum toxin injections, and regular therapy - and found that surgical treatment resulted in greater improvement in dynamic positional analysis and a higher quality of life compared to the other two groups. The study included 39 children with upper-extremity cerebral palsy who were surgical candidates for tendon transfer surgery. The surgical treatment group showed significant improvement in wrist extension and supination, leading to improved functional activities, such as grip strength and pinch strength. The study concluded that surgical treatment provided greater improvement in dynamic limb positioning, quality of life, and participation satisfaction compared to botulinum toxin injections or regular therapy. However, the improvements were of modest magnitude, and long-term effects were not evaluated in this study. The study recommends tendon transfer surgery as a treatment option for children with upper-extremity cerebral palsy who meet standard indications for surgical intervention, while botulinum toxin injections and regular therapy can still be used as maintenance treatments.

Keywords

tendon transfer surgery

botulinum toxin injections

regular therapy

upper-extremity cerebral palsy

function improvement

dynamic positional analysis

quality of life

surgical candidates

grip strength

pinch strength