SynthesisNeurosurgical review2025
Cervicothoracic dorsal rhizotomy for the management of upper limb spasticity: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Neurosurgical review, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Pediatric spasticity in Brazil: insights from a neurosurgical referral center.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lumbar selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a well-established surgical procedure for managing lower limb spasticity. However, its application for upper limb spasticity remains limited. This systematic review aims to analyze and synthesize the existing literature on cervicothoracic SDR for upper limb spasticity, focusing on surgical techniques, its effectiveness, and associated outcomes. A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from inception to 2024, following PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting at least one new case of cervicothoracic SDR for upper limb spasticity were included. Data extraction encompassed demographics, etiology, surgical details, pre- and postoperative spasticity and motor function assessments, and complications. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests were applied to assess outcomes, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A total of 10 studies (48 patients) met inclusion criteria. The mean age was 20.0 ± 13.3 years, with 60.4% pediatric patients. The most common etiologies were cerebral palsy (52.1%), traumatic brain injury (18.7%), and stroke (16.7%). SDR was unilateral in 75% of cases. The mean follow-up was 14.0 ± 7.3 months. Spasticity significantly decreased in 95.6% of patients (p < 0.001 for all muscle groups). Functional assessments demonstrated significant improvement in fine motor skills (p < 0.001), grasping strength (p = 0.005), and pinch strength (p = 0.003). Sensory deficits were reported in 35.3% of cases postoperatively. Complications included infection (2.1%), long-term neuropathic pain (6.3%), and spasticity recurrence (6.5%). Cervicothoracic SDR appears to be a promising surgical option for managing upper limb spasticity, with a favorable benefit-risk profile. Despite encouraging results, further prospective studies with standardized assessment protocols are required to refine patient selection criteria and optimize surgical outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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Registered trials
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.