Article

The purpose of this study is to introduce and describe a newly developed index
using foot pressure analysis to quantify the degree of equinus gait in children
with cerebral palsy before and after injection with botulinum toxin. Data were
captured preinjection and 12 weeks postinjection. Ten children aged 2(1/2) to
6(1/2) years took part (5 boys and 5 girls). Three of them had a diagnosis of
spastic diplegia and 7 of congenital hemiplegia. In total, 13 limbs were
analyzed. After orientation and segmentation of raw pedobarographic data, we
determined a dynamic foot pressure index graded 0 to 100 that quantified the
relative degree of heel and forefoot contact during stance. These data were
correlated (Pearson correlation) with clinical measurements of dorsiflexion at
the ankle (on a slow and fast stretch) and video observation (using the
Observational Gait Scale). Pedobarograph data were strongly correlated with both
the Observational Gait Scale scores (R = 0.79, P < 0.005) and clinical
measurements of dorsiflexion on a fast stretch, which is reflective of spasticity
(R = 0.70, P < 0.005). We demonstrated the index's sensitivity in detecting
changes in spasticity and good correlation with video observations seems to
indicate this technique's potential validity. When manipulated and segmented
appropriately, and with the development of a simple ordinal index, we found that
foot pressure data provided a useful tool in tracking changes in patients with
spastic equinus.

Langue : ANGLAIS

Tiré à part : OUI