Does surgical management of the hand in children with spastic unilateral cerebral palsy affect functional outcome?

The aim of this review was to examine the literature on the effects of surgery of the spastic hand in children with cerebral palsy on functional outcome and muscle coordination. We performed a search of the relevant literature in Medline, Embase, and Biological Abstracts from 1966 to June 2006. The search resulted in eight studies on the effect of surgery on functional outcome and three studies on the effect of surgery on muscle coordination.

Heterogeneity in outcome measures precluded meta-analysis. The studies revealed that -- at the level of impairment -- surgery has a positive effect on supination and dorsiflexion of the wrist. At the level of function, surgery might improve grip strategy and induce an increase of the repertoire of grips and spontaneous use of the hand.

The evidence for the functional effects is, however, limited. Whether the possibly improved function is mediated by alterations in muscle coordination patterns remains unclear. The muscle coordination studies ... more.

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