Multilevel Treatment of Ambulatory Children with Diplegia: An Outcome Assessment

Introduction: With the evolution of gait analysis, surgeons have become more willing to correct multiple lower-extremity deformities during the course of a single operative procedure. So-called “Single event multilevel surgery to improve gait” is now being carried out at several centers [1]. Because multiple deformities are corrected during a single surgical procedure, the problem of evaluating the efficacy of multi-level surgery is complex. In addition to orthopaedic intervention, children may also undergo treatment for spasticity via selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). In order to understand the benefits of these treatments, appropriate technical and functional outcome measures must be evaluated [2].