An Analysis of Relative Gait Impairment in Commonly Diagnosed Pediatric Conditions.

Background: Gait indices were developed to represent the magnitude of impairment extracted from a gait analysis with a single value. The Gillette Gait Index (GGI), and the Gait Deviation Index (GDI) are 2 widely used indices that represent gait impairment differently based on their statistical properties. Our purpose was to (1) report on the results of gait analysis for a broad spectrum of pediatric conditions using the GGI and GDI, and (2) identify the parameters that dominate impairment.

CARES: improving the care and disposition of psychiatric patients in the pediatric emergency department.

Objectives: Pediatric psychiatric emergencies are a nationwide crisis and have contributed to an increase in behavioral health emergency department (ED) visits. A collaborative response to this crisis was the creation of the Child & Adolescent Rapid Emergency Stabilization (CARES) program. The objective of this study is to determine how the CARES unit influenced length of stay (LOS) and costs for psychiatric patients in the pediatric ED.

Gait and participation outcomes in adults with cerebral palsy: a series of case studies using mixed methods.

Background: There is a paucity of information on long-term outcomes of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) who received orthopedic interventions in childhood. Clinical effectiveness research requires assessment of outcomes that account for personal and environmental factors that may mediate the effects of treatment, in addition to body structures & function, activity, and participation.

Objective/hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of characteristics associated with gait and participation outcomes in a series of case studies of adults with CP.

Accuracy, reliability, and validity of a 3-dimensional scanner for assessing torso shape in idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: Prospective cohort with concurrent controls.

Objective: To establish accuracy, reliability, and validity of the Vitronic 3D Body Scanner for the evaluation of torso asymmetry in patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Summary Of Background Data: Improved appearance is an important expectation of treatment for patients with scoliosis and their parents.

Time-to-contact and multiscale entropy identify differences in postural control in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Previous reports on changes in postural control in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) compared to healthy controls have been inconsistent. This may suggest center of pressure (COP) sway parameters are not sufficient for determining the ability to maintain quiet upright stance indicating more complex measures may be needed to examine postural control in AIS. The purpose of this investigation was to compare postural control between AIS of different severity levels and healthy controls using time-to-contact (TtC), the complexity index of multiscale entropy (C(r)), and COP sway parameters.

Walking abilities of young adults with cerebral palsy: changes after multilevel surgery and adolescence.

Although there is some evidence to support the efficacy of single event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) in the short term for improving walking abilities in children with cerebral palsy (CP), long term effects are not known. It is hypothesized: (1) SEMLS improves walking abilities; (2) in young adulthood abilities deteriorate beyond pre-operative status; (3) walking abilities deteriorate from adolescence to young adulthood and are associated with weight status increase. Twenty-three young adults (mean age 25.

Changes in gait velocity, mean knee flexion in stance, body mass index, and popliteal angle with age in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore changes in body mass index (BMI), gait velocity, mean knee flexion in stance, and popliteal angle with age in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 188 ambulatory children with cerebral palsy Gross Motor Function Classification System II or III who had a motion analysis evaluation. Subjects had no previous surgical interventions and were between the ages of 4 and 21.

Postoperative gait velocity and mean knee flexion in stance of ambulatory children with spastic diplegia four years or more after multilevel surgery.

Factors associated with longer-term outcomes of multilevel orthopaedic surgery in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy using a multivariate approach were evaluated using a retrospective pretest-posttest design. The population included 20 ambulatory children with spastic diplegia who had undergone multilevel orthopaedic surgery with a minimum of 4-year interval between a preoperative and a postoperative gait assessment. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with postoperative velocity and mean knee flexion in stance.

Comparing botulinum toxin A with casting for treatment of dynamic equinus in children with cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this study was to compare the cumulative efficacy (three treatment sessions) of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) alone, casting alone, and the combination of BTX-A and casting in the management of dynamic equinus in ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Thirty-nine children with spastic CP (mean age 5y 10mo, range 3 to 9y) were enrolled in the study. A multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled prospective study was used.

Juvenile-onset scoliosis followed up to adulthood: orthopaedic and functional outcomes.

This retrospective review describes 52 children with juvenile-onset scoliosis followed up for at least 2 years after skeletal maturity and completion of treatment. The purpose was to compare clinical and radiographic characteristics and curve progression, as well as orthopaedic, functional, and psychosocial outcomes in children treated by observation, bracing, or surgery. Seventeen percent of patients were treated with observation and 33% with bracing; and 50% required surgery.