Congenital muscular torticollis: Results of bipolar release in children older than 5 years.

Objective: The objective of this study was to know about the outcome of bipolar release of congenital muscular torticollis in children above 5-years. Introduction: Congenital muscular torticollis is the 3rd most common musculo-skeletal anomaly after club foot and developmental dysplasia of hip. It is characterized by shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle leading to tilting of head towards and chin to the opposite side. Physical therapy yields excellent results when diagnosed early. Surgery is indicated for late presentation or those with residual deformity after physical therapy. Material and Methods: It was a descriptive observational study utilizing consecutive nonprobability sampling technique. Patients with congenital muscular torticollis and age above 05 years were included in the study. Bipolar release was performed in all and outcome was measured with scoring system of Lee et al. Setting: The study was carried out at the Department of Orthopaedic and Spine Surgery, Haytabad Medical Complex, Peshawar from September 2008 to January 2020. Results: During the study period a total of 29-patients with Congenital Muscular Torticollis (CMT) underwent bipolar release of the SCM muscle. The mean age at surgery was 08.92±2.20 years (range = 05-18 years). Out of 29-patients excellent or good results were noted in 23 (79.3%). A score of 17-18 points was achieved in 17-patients (58.6%) accounting to excellent results whereas 08-patients (27.6%) were graded as good (15-16 points). Fair outcome was noted in 3 patient (10.3%). One patient had poor result in the study. Conclusion: Bipolar release of the sternocleadomastoid is a safe and effective method for treating Congenital Muscular Torticollis even in children older than 5 years. It has got few complications and it provides good cosmetic and functional results. It resolves the deformity and restores the neck range of motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]