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Knee and foot contracture occur earliest in children with cerebral palsy : a longitudinal analysis of 2,693 children

Cloodt, Erika LU ; Wagner, Philippe LU ; Lauge-Pedersen, Henrik LU and Rodby-Bousquet, Elisabet LU (2021) In Acta Orthopaedica 92(2). p.222-227
Abstract

Background and purpose — Joint contracture is a common problem among children with cerebral palsy (CP). To prevent severe contracture and its effects on adjacent joints, it is crucial to identify children with a reduced range of motion (ROM) early. We examined whether significant hip, knee, or foot contracture occurs earliest in children with CP. Patients and methods — This was a longitudinal study involving 27,230 measurements obtained for 2,693 children (59% boys, 41% girls) with CP born 1990 to 2018 and registered before 5 years of age in the Swedish surveillance program for CP. The analysis was based on 4,751 legs followed up for an average of 5.0 years. Separate Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves were drawn for each ROM to illustrate the... (More)

Background and purpose — Joint contracture is a common problem among children with cerebral palsy (CP). To prevent severe contracture and its effects on adjacent joints, it is crucial to identify children with a reduced range of motion (ROM) early. We examined whether significant hip, knee, or foot contracture occurs earliest in children with CP. Patients and methods — This was a longitudinal study involving 27,230 measurements obtained for 2,693 children (59% boys, 41% girls) with CP born 1990 to 2018 and registered before 5 years of age in the Swedish surveillance program for CP. The analysis was based on 4,751 legs followed up for an average of 5.0 years. Separate Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves were drawn for each ROM to illustrate the proportions of contracture-free legs at a given time during the follow-up. Using a clustered bootstrap method and considering the child as the unit of clustering, 95% pointwise confidence intervals were generated for equally spaced time points every 2.5 years for each KM curve. Results — Contracture developed in 34% of all legs, and the median time to the first contracture was 10 years from the first examination. Contracture was most common in children with a higher Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level. The first contracture was a flexion contracture preventing dorsiflexion in children with GMFCS level I or II and preventing knee extension in children with GMFCS level III to V. Interpretation — Early interventions to prevent knee and foot contractures in children with CP should be considered.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Acta Orthopaedica
volume
92
issue
2
pages
6 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • pmid:33228441
  • scopus:85096556572
ISSN
1745-3674
DOI
10.1080/17453674.2020.1848154
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
072ad9c7-bb80-4af9-871f-7b481155db26
date added to LUP
2020-12-08 10:31:32
date last changed
2024-04-17 20:07:44
@article{072ad9c7-bb80-4af9-871f-7b481155db26,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background and purpose — Joint contracture is a common problem among children with cerebral palsy (CP). To prevent severe contracture and its effects on adjacent joints, it is crucial to identify children with a reduced range of motion (ROM) early. We examined whether significant hip, knee, or foot contracture occurs earliest in children with CP. Patients and methods — This was a longitudinal study involving 27,230 measurements obtained for 2,693 children (59% boys, 41% girls) with CP born 1990 to 2018 and registered before 5 years of age in the Swedish surveillance program for CP. The analysis was based on 4,751 legs followed up for an average of 5.0 years. Separate Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves were drawn for each ROM to illustrate the proportions of contracture-free legs at a given time during the follow-up. Using a clustered bootstrap method and considering the child as the unit of clustering, 95% pointwise confidence intervals were generated for equally spaced time points every 2.5 years for each KM curve. Results — Contracture developed in 34% of all legs, and the median time to the first contracture was 10 years from the first examination. Contracture was most common in children with a higher Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level. The first contracture was a flexion contracture preventing dorsiflexion in children with GMFCS level I or II and preventing knee extension in children with GMFCS level III to V. Interpretation — Early interventions to prevent knee and foot contractures in children with CP should be considered.</p>}},
  author       = {{Cloodt, Erika and Wagner, Philippe and Lauge-Pedersen, Henrik and Rodby-Bousquet, Elisabet}},
  issn         = {{1745-3674}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{222--227}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Acta Orthopaedica}},
  title        = {{Knee and foot contracture occur earliest in children with cerebral palsy : a longitudinal analysis of 2,693 children}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17453674.2020.1848154}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/17453674.2020.1848154}},
  volume       = {{92}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}