Forschungsjournal für klinische Pädiatrie

Possibilities of minimal invasive treatment of hips displacement in children with cerebral palsy

Peter Bernius

Introduction: Hips dislocation is one of the main complications in children with cerebral palsy behind peseqinus. Without treatment we see a development of about seven percent per year. Main cause beside belayed verticalisation is pathologic muscle drawing of hip surrounding muscles (Flynn et al 2002, Cornell et al. 1995, doll et al 2006). Mostly concerned are children with restricted possibility of walking and standing self-contained, which is graded with the gross motor function classification system.

Methods: It is common to stabilize muscle imbalance with soft tissue balancing in young age. Here we wish percutaneous myofasziotomie to lengthen short muscle. The iliopsoas muscle must be lengthen with an mini-open access. As muscle lengthening is not sufficient enough in risky hips in older patients, we use additional growth guiding as a minimal invasive method to prohibit further hip displacement. Therefore two studies could show a positive effect (Lee et al 2016, Portinaro et al 2016).

Results: In 99 hips observed for in mean 4, 2 years in children with GMFCS 3-5 under six years we found an improvement of hip displacement in 33%, a worsening in 5% and stabilization in 62% as reported in Congress Focus CP 2019. In our patients elder than six years we united percutaneous myofasziotomy with shown growth of the femoral head and we originate in 16 hips a mean development of movement index of 5% and an improvement of femoral neck ankle of 9° within 16 month mean follow up as we reported in 2018 during the congress for orthopaedic child surgery in Dresden.

Discussion: Minimal invasive soft tissue release seems to be as effective as open release as performed in many countries with hip surveyance programs and recovery of children treated minimal invasively is faster. Fewer surgical dissections, less comorbidity, and faster recovery of motion than varies osteotomy make directed growth surgery a cure choice for coxa valga in spastic hip dislocation in no ambulant cerebral palsy children.

Conclusion: Further studies must show the efficiency of this method in long term.