A systematic evaluation of the effect of thumb opponens splints on hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

Objective: To examine the effects of a neoprene thumb opponens splint on hand function during a self-selected activities of daily living task in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy with thumb-in-palm position of the affected hand.

Design: Systematic evaluation of seven cases using a multiple baseline design across individuals.

Setting: Outpatient clinic.

Test-retest and inter- and intrareliability of the quality of the upper-extremity skills test in preschool-age children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: To investigate the test-retest, inter-, and intraobserver reliability of the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) in young children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Design: For test-retest reliability, a test-retest design was used; for the intra- and interobserver reliability, the videotaped test was scored on 2 occasions by 1 observer and by various observers.

Setting: Groups of preschool-age children in 2 general rehabilitation centers.

Does surgical management of the hand in children with spastic unilateral cerebral palsy affect functional outcome?

The aim of this review was to examine the literature on the effects of surgery of the spastic hand in children with cerebral palsy on functional outcome and muscle coordination. We performed a search of the relevant literature in Medline, Embase, and Biological Abstracts from 1966 to June 2006. The search resulted in eight studies on the effect of surgery on functional outcome and three studies on the effect of surgery on muscle coordination.