On Monday we wrote about selective dorsal rhizotomy, a treatment to improve muscle control for children with spastic cerebral palsy. While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, there are surgery options for improving quality of life. Orthopedic Surgery Many children with cerebral palsy undergo orthopedic surgery in their early years. Orthopedic surgery attempts to correct stiff muscles and allow the child to walk. Some critics of this surgery point out that there is little follow-up data available, and that some benefits are temporary. Patients usually require multiple variations of this operation. Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy For people with spastic cerebral palsy, abnormal components of the nervous system send incorrect signals to muscles, resulting in spasms. In this costly procedure (about $30,000), the surgeon cuts the nerves responsible for sending these malformed signals. While this procedure is usually successful in children, more research is needed to determine if it can help…
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Birth Injury and Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Home
Surgery Options for Cerebral Palsy
September 7, 2012Nerve Procedure Offers Hope for Children with Cerebral Palsy
September 3, 2012The above video features Christian Izquierdo, a 16-year-old from Florida. When he was eight months old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Activities like running and jumping seemed forever out-of- reach – until a doctor in St. Louis changed his life. Thanks to a procedure called a selective dorsal rhizotomy, Christian can run and jump. Doctors have also noticed an improvement in his speech. A New Life Dr. T. S. Park has performed the procedure on nearly 2,400 children with cerebral palsy. Search for the surgery on YouTube and you will find several videos of children running and walking after the operation – many of them performed by Dr. Park. The surgery is not cheap – Christian’s cost nearly $32,000, and it is not covered by most out-of-state insurance companies. His family set up a website called Christian’s Crusade to raise money. The Procedure Many parents agree that the selective…
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Nerve Transfers Prevent Disability After Birth Injury, Study Says
August 29, 2012A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that certain surgeries, if performed immediately after nerve damage occurs, can prevent serious injury later on. “If we get these patients late, any nerve surgery is less likely to work,” said Steve K. Lee, lead author of the study. Lee also is the research director at the Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury at Hospital for Special Surgery. “A big thrust of this paper is to get the information out there that we need to see these patients earlier for better outcomes.” Hope for Birth Trauma Victims This information is especially relevant for the parents of newborns who may have sustained nerve damage at birth. A group of nerves near the neck and shoulders called the brachial plexus is responsible for controlling limb movement. If the baby’s neck is pulled or twisted during…
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