Utilization of electromyography during selective obturator neurotomy to treat spastic cerebral palsy accompanied by scissors gait

Abstract

Selective obturator neurotomy is a commonly used neurosurgical intervention for spastic cerebral palsy with scissors gait. Here we report the use of surface electromyography to assess the accuracy and effect of selective obturator neurotomy procedures. Selective obturator neurotomy was carried out on 18 patients while using intraoperative electromyography. Contractions of adductor muscles were recorded by electromyography before and after neurotomy and assessed using root mean square and integrated electromyography tests. Passive and voluntary movements were recorded for all patients. Our results show that adductor spasms and adductive deformity of hip were improved in all patients with spastic cerebral palsy. Adductor muscle spatiality was improved significantly, confirmed by a significant decrease in the values of root mean square and integrated electromyography in both passive and voluntary movements after surgery. We show that electromyography is an effective tool for accurately and safely targeting nerve tracts during selective obturator neurotomy. Thus, we demonstrate a valuable noninvasive method to objectively evaluate the effect of treatment in spastic cerebral palsy patients.

Combined selective peripheral neurotomy in the treatment of spastic lower limbs of spinal cord injury patients

“…At present, SPN surgery has been applied to the treatment of limb spasms in children with cerebral palsy and poststroke patients. The use of SPN surgery for limb spasm after spinal cord injury is rarely studied and mostly focuses on unilateral neurotomy of the muscular branch for spasm relief, and research reports on combined SPN (cSPN) surgery in the treatment of spasm after spinal cord injury are limited [ 8 , 13 , 20 ]. In this study, we intended to observe the efficacy of cSPN surgery in the treatment of severe lower limb spasms after spinal cord injury.…”