Purpose. to analyze the effectiveness of soft tissue surgical correction of equine-flat-valgus-feet deformity in children with cerebral palsy. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of clinical and X-ray findings of 47 patients (86 feet) with equino-flat-valgus deformity was performed. All patients were treated surgically. They were divided into two groups by age: Group I - 23 children (4-7 y.o.); Group II - 24 children (8-11 y.o.). The neurological status was examined in patients with the motor development of level I - III (by GMFCS classification) who had hemiparesis, diplegia and tetroparesis. A comparative analysis was made with a reference group which consisted of 30 children (56 feet), aged 4-11, who had exostotic chondrodysplasia or trauma of the ligamentous apparatus in one foot without neurological pathology and feet deformities. Results. One year after surgery, a significant improvement in clinical and radiological parameters comparing to preoperative findings was registered in patients of both studied groups. Most parameters were close to the established reference intervals. In Group I, three years later at the follow-up examination no significant difference was revealed in similar parameters obtained three years later and one year later after the surgery. However, in Group II three years later a negative dynamics was seen in most of studied parameters when compared with reference values and with results of the first postoperative year. Such outcomes demonstrate high efficiency of soft foot tissue surgery in children under 8. A significant decrease in clinical and radiological parameters after similar amount of surgical correction in children of primary school age (8-11 y.o.), which were under the long-term observation, may indicate the ineffectiveness of such techniques at this age. Evaluation of the functional status by the Gillette functional assessment scale three years after the surgery revealed the increased functional status in 78.26% of patients from Group I and in 41.66% from Group II. In some children from Group II (primary school age), there was a negative dynamics in their functional status. Conclusion. In generally, the obtained data indicate good prospects for improving the functional status in the postoperative period in children of both groups. However, the existing negative dynamics in children from Group II (8-11 y.o.) indicates a weak prospective for a long-term surgical deformity correction of the foot ligamentous apparatus because the coming period is a period of rapid growth and increased loading on the musculoskeletal system of a child with cerebral palsy.
