Article

Gait patterns in adults with cerebral palsy have, to our knowledge, never been
assessed. This contrasts with the large number of studies which have attempted to
categorize gait patterns in children with cerebral palsy. Several methodological
approaches have been developed to objectively classify gait patterns in patients
with central nervous system lesions. These methods enable the identification of
groups of patients with common underlying clinical problems. One method is
cluster analysis, a multivariate statistical method which is used to classify an
entire data set into homogeneous groups or "clusters". The aim of this study was
to determine, using cluster analysis, the principal gait patterns which can be
found in adults with cerebral palsy. Data from 3D motion analyses of 44 adults
with cerebral palsy were included. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to
subgroup the different gait patterns based on spatiotemporal and kinematic
parameters in the sagittal and frontal planes. Five clusters were identified
(C1-C5) among which, 3 subgroups were determined, based on spontaneous gait speed
(C1/C2: slow, C3/C4: moderate and C5: almost normal). The different clusters were
related to specific kinematic parameters that can be assessed in routine clinical
practice. These 5 classifications can be used to follow changes in gait patterns
throughout growth and aging as well to assess the effects of different treatments
(physiotherapy, surgery, botulinum toxin, etc.) on gait patterns in adults with
cerebral palsy.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS