Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children's Center have discovered most children with severe cerebral palsy have asymmetric pelvic bones, a misalignment that can affect how surgeries of the pelvis and spine are performed, according to a Hopkins Children's news release.
Most children with cerebral palsy have scoliosis, which requires surgery. Since the pelvis and spine are connected, any spine surgery procedure should consider the possibility of a misaligned pelvis. The degree of misalignment should dictate the size, type and placement of surgical screws and rods used to stabilize the spine and pelvis in corrective procedures.
“Surgeons preparing to operate on children with cerebral palsy should look out for pelvic asymmetry and tweak their surgical technique accordingly to achieve better outcomes and more lasting benefits,” says senior study investigator Paul Sponseller, MD, chief of pediatric orthopedics at Hopkins Children's.
While previous studies have revealed asymmetry above the pelvis and misalignment of the hips, this study is the first to show asymmetry between the two sides of the pelvic bone itself.
Read the Hopkins Children's release on cerebral palsy and spine surgery.
Read more about spine surgery studies:
- Study: 3D Cervical Spine Motion Measurements In Vivo
- Study: High Intensity Zones May Signal Painful Intervertebral Disc
- Study: Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Successful With PEEK Cages
Most children with cerebral palsy have scoliosis, which requires surgery. Since the pelvis and spine are connected, any spine surgery procedure should consider the possibility of a misaligned pelvis. The degree of misalignment should dictate the size, type and placement of surgical screws and rods used to stabilize the spine and pelvis in corrective procedures.
“Surgeons preparing to operate on children with cerebral palsy should look out for pelvic asymmetry and tweak their surgical technique accordingly to achieve better outcomes and more lasting benefits,” says senior study investigator Paul Sponseller, MD, chief of pediatric orthopedics at Hopkins Children's.
While previous studies have revealed asymmetry above the pelvis and misalignment of the hips, this study is the first to show asymmetry between the two sides of the pelvic bone itself.
Read the Hopkins Children's release on cerebral palsy and spine surgery.
Read more about spine surgery studies:
- Study: 3D Cervical Spine Motion Measurements In Vivo
- Study: High Intensity Zones May Signal Painful Intervertebral Disc
- Study: Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Successful With PEEK Cages