Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40097710›Full record

ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2025

Selective dorsal rhizotomy from indication to rehabilitation: a worldwide survey.

Liza M M van Dijk, K Mariam Slot, Tom F Novacheck, Annemieke I Buizer, Nelleke G Langerak, SDR working group

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Building a pediatric spasticity surgery program in a low-awareness setting: capacity creation, multidisciplinary integration, and early outcomes.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  2. [Limited bone and soft tissue surgery combined with Ilizarov technique in treatment of adolescent severe cerebral palsy with flattened valgus foot and lower leg external rotation deformity].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026
    Article
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  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Liza M M van DijkDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0009-0003-5578-6354
K Mariam SlotDepartment of Neurosurgery, Amsterdam UMC Location University Van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Tom F NovacheckGillette Children'S Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8621-6392
Annemieke I BuizerDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5662-2843
Nelleke G LangerakNeuroscience Institute and Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. nellekelangerak@hotmail.com.ORCID 0000-0003-1567-3112
SDR working group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSelective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a neurosurgical treatment used worldwide to reduce spasticity. The procedure has undergone many changes since its introduction in the early 1900s, and currently, different centers vary in many aspects of the procedure. We surveyed centers on different continents regarding SDR indications, surgical techniques, and postoperative rehabilitation.

methodsTen centers worldwide with SDR experience participated in an online survey preparing for a pre-conference workshop in 2022. The main topics were patient characteristics, the selection process, surgery, and rehabilitation.

resultsUniversal suitable candidates for SDR were patients with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II or III, ages 5 to 7 years, and adequate strength, motor control, and access to postoperative rehabilitation. Centers differed in additional inclusion and exclusion criteria and the use of diagnostic tools. Both single- and multilevel approaches were used, with electrophysiological monitoring applied in all approaches. Intensive rehabilitation was recommended after surgery, followed by a less intensive program, with variations in duration, therapy frequency, modalities used, and follow-up periods.

conclusionThis survey demonstrated many similarities in several aspects of the SDR procedure in centers performing SDR worldwide, while considerable variability was also seen. The results emphasize the need for standardized reporting of SDR procedures and outcome measures to enable international comparative studies. A Delphi procedure could be a first step to reaching a consensus on outcome measurements, which may lead to a consensus regarding the most suitable candidates, surgical techniques, and rehabilitation programs to improve functional outcomes.

Indexed as

Cerebral PalsyMuscle SpasticityRhizotomyChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesCerebral palsyNeurosurgeryRehabilitationRhizotomySelection

Identifiers

PMID40097710
PMCPMC11913937

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.