Does loss of spasticity matter? A 10-year follow-up after selective dorsal rhizotomy in cerebral palsy.

The article discusses a study that evaluated the long-term effects of selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy (CP). The subjects were prospectively assessed at different time periods after SDR. It was found that baseline muscle tone at the knee, hop, and ankle level showed a high degree of spasticity that normalized after SDR. The spasticity-reducing effect of SDR is seen to suggest that contracture development in CP is not mediated only by spasticity.