We have performed selective posterior rhizotomies on 60 children with cerebral palsy. The procedure involves lumbar laminectomy with stimulation of the rootlets (fascicles) of the second lumbar to the first sacral posterior roots bilaterally; those rootlets associated with an abnormal motor response, as evidenced by sustained or diffused muscular contraction, are divided leaving intact rootlets associated with a brief localized contraction. The patients were between 20 months and 19 years of age representing all degrees of physical handicap and ranging from profoundly retarded to normal intelligence. Follow-up has been from 1 to 5 years. Each child was assessed pre-and postoperatively and graded in the following categories: muscle tone, power, sitting, standing, walking, upper limb function, and speech. The patients whose function improved most dramatically following rhizotomy were purely spastic and intelligent, were significantly more affected by spasticity in the lower than the upper limbs, had some degree of forward locomotion, and could side-sit independently. Patients with severe athetosis or marked contractures improved least.

Fifty-one spastic children who had undergone selective posterior lumbar rhizotomy between 1981 and 1984 were re-examined to determine whether the gains achieved had persisted and to look at other aspects that had not previously been explored in detail. The reduction of tone was maintained in all cases, while motor function continued to improve in 42 cases. Functional gains were greatest in children operated on under the age of 8, but pleasing results were also achieved in older children. Forty-five children continued to receive physiotherapy, particular attention being paid to building up muscle strength. Sensory disturbances were minimal, and there was no evidence of spinal instability. Post-rhizotomy orthopaedic surgery for fixed-joint contractures generally brought further improvement. Parents and older children were also questioned and almost all were enthusiastic about the outcome. Rhizotomy can be of considerable benefit to spastic children, but great care must be taken in the selection of suitable cases.

Selective dorsal rhizotomy is an effective method for alleviating spasticity. Furthermore, the authors provide evidence to show that lasting functional benefits, as measured by improved gait, can also be obtained.

Selective dorsal rhizotomy is a neurosurgical procedure performed for the relief of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy, but its long-term functional efficacy is still unknown. The authors sought to address this issue by means of an objective, prospective study in which quantitative gait analysis was used. Eleven children with spastic diplegia (mean age at initial surgery 7.8 years) were evaluated preoperatively in 1985 and then at 1, 3, and at least 10 years after surgery. For comparison, 12 age-matched normal individuals were also studied. Retroreflective targets were placed over the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and each individual's gait was videotaped. The video data were subsequently entered into a computer for extraction and analysis of the gait parameters. An analysis of variance yielded a significant time effect (p < 0.05), and post hoc comparisons revealed differences before and after surgery and with respect to the normal control subjects. The knee and hip ranges of motion (59š and 44š, respectively, for controls) were significantly restricted prior to surgery (41š and 41š, respectively), but were within normal limits after 10 years (52š and 45š, respectively). The knee and hip midrange values (31š and 3š, respectively, for controls), indicative of posture, were significantly elevated preoperatively (42š and 15š) and increased sharply at 1 year (56š and 18š), but by 10 years they had decreased to within normal limits (36š and 9š). Step length and velocity improved postoperatively but were not within the normal range after 10 years. Ten years after surgery our patients not only had increased ranges of motion, they also used that movement about a normal midrange point. Selective dorsal rhizotomy is an effective method for alleviating spasticity; furthermore, the authors provide evidence to show that lasting functional benefits, as measured by improved gait, can also be obtained.

Fifty-five children with cerebral palsy had multiple-level laminectomies for selective posterior rhizotomies for the relief of spasticity. They were followed up clinically and radiologically to assess their spinal stability and the possible development of post-laminectomy deformity of the spine. The majority of the deformities found were related to cerebral palsy and did not appear to be due to the laminectomy: 16% had scoliosis, 5% kyphosis, 7% lordosis, and 9% spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis. Spondylolysis is the only abnormality that appeared to be more common in this group than in children with cerebral palsy.