Surgical approach to forearm pronation deformity in patients with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.

Background: Pronation deformity in patients with cerebral palsy can have a major impact on upper limb functionality. There is lack of consensus in the literature about the preferred surgical technique to address this deformity. Study aim: To evaluate and synthesize the outcome of different surgical techniques for pronation deformity in patients with cerebral palsy. Methodology: The databases MEDLINE and Embase were searched for publications up to December 2021. Articles were considered eligible for inclusion when the included patients had a pronation deformity caused by cerebral palsy and results of surgical intervention for pronation deformity were examined. Evaluation of the quality of the retrieved study was conducted using the MINORS tool. Meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity of interventions and reported outcomes. Results: Nineteen studies, involving 475 patients and eight different techniques were included. All studies reported gain of active supination in most patients. The effect of surgery on functional gain was less clear and there was a large heterogeneity of reported functional outcome measures. There were 46 reported complications. Overall quality of study design was poor, illustrated by the average MINOR score of 6.9/16. Overall, there is a high risk of bias due to poor internal and external validity of the studies. Conclusion: Despite positive reports on gain in supination and functionality after most procedures addressing pronation deformity in CP patients, no conclusions can be drawn concerning the preferred technique due to the low quality of the evidence.

Intratendinous pressure of the Achilles tendon during exercise is related to the degree of tendon torsion.

Torsion of the Achilles tendon (AT) enhances tensile strength, but a high degree of torsion might also be a risk factor for Achilles tendinopathy, due to greater internal compression exerted during tensile loading. However, evidence supporting the grounds for this assumption is lacking. Hence, we aimed to investigate the impact of AT torsion type on intratendinous pressure. Eighteen human fresh frozen cadaveric legs were mounted in a testing rig and a miniature pressure catheter was placed through ultrasound-guided insertion in the midportion region of the AT. Intratendinous pressure was measured during a simulated straight-knee calf stretch and eccentric heel drop. The AT was then carefully dissected and classified into Type I (least), Type II (moderate), and Type III (extreme) torsion. Of the ATs examined, nine were found to have Type I torsion (50%), nine Type II (50%), and none Type III. It was found that the intratendinous pressure of the AT increased exponentially with ankle dorsiflexion during both exercises (p < 0.001) and that this increase was greater in ATs with Type II torsion than Type I torsion (p < 0.05). This study provides the first biomechanical data to support the hypothesis that in athletes with a high degree of torsion in the AT, the midportion area will experience more internal compression during exercise, for example, calf stretching and eccentric heel drops. Whether this phenomenon is also associated with an elevated risk for Achilles tendinopathy needs further prospective investigation.