Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40970341›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental medicine and child neurology2026

Outcomes of selective dorsal rhizotomy in ambulatory children and young people with cerebral palsy: A scoping review.

Deepti Chugh, Eleanor Main, Gillian Waite, Lucy Alderson, Kristian Aquilina, Cherry Kilbride, Tim Theologis, Hortensia Gimeno

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental medicine and child neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

8 authors.

Deepti ChughPhysiotherapy, Infection, Immunity, Inflammation Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1002-0334
Eleanor MainPhysiotherapy, Infection, Immunity, Inflammation Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK.
Gillian WaitePhysiotherapy, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Lucy AldersonPhysiotherapy, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3181-5857
Kristian AquilinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Cherry KilbrideCollege of Health, Medical and Life Sciences, Brunel, University of London, UK.
Tim TheologisNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Botnar Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
Hortensia GimenoBarts Bone and Joint Health, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1488-6415

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR302916National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR 303636
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo identify outcomes reported after selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) in ambulant children and young people with cerebral palsy in different domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

methodA scoping review using the JBI Scoping Review methodology was conducted. Six databases were searched for literature published between 1993 and 2024.

resultsA total of 214 published papers met the inclusion criteria. Outcomes under the body function and structure domain were most frequently investigated (n = 199, 93%), followed by activity (n = 123, 58%) and participation (n = 33, 15%) across all studies. Quality of life was reported in 16 (8%) studies, and four (2%) studies mentioned individualized goals for SDR surgery. A combination of validated measures and subjective outcomes was used, with 119 (56%) studies reporting outcomes in two or more domains.

interpretationImpairment-based outcomes remain the primary focus in SDR research. A small shift in emphasis towards participant-reported outcome measures has been seen in recent years. Few studies reported on the impact of personal and environmental factors. Future SDR studies need to incorporate all domains of the ICF to enhance understanding and capture holistic, meaningful changes in the lives of children and young people with cerebral palsy and their families.

Indexed as

Cerebral PalsyOutcome Assessment, Health CareRhizotomySpinal Nerve RootsAdolescentChildHumansQuality of LifeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID40970341
PMCPMC12766555

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.