Effects of spinal cord stimulation on motor functions in children with cerebral palsy.

Is it possible to regulate the functional properties of abnormally developed spinal neuronal locomotor networks using transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation? This question has been studied in twenty-eight participants (∼9 yrs) with spastic cerebral palsy, and mainly Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy level III. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group received transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation at two spinal levels (over T11 and L1 spinous processes), combined with locomotor treadmill training, whereas the participants of the control group received locomotor treadmill training only. After spinal cord stimulation in the experimental group we found an incremental increase in knee torque whereas in the control group this effect was absent. The amplitude of hip motion increased in both groups. A decrease of co-activation of hip and muscles of the lower extremities was observed in the experimental group while in the control group co-activation decreased only in hip muscles. The results support the idea that locomotor function can be improved significantly with the combination of training and transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation than with training alone.

[The regulation of balance in the children presenting with severe cerebral palsy following the treatment with the use of the locomotor training in combination with the electrical stimulation of leg muscles and spinal cord]. / Regulyatsiya balansa u detei s tyazhelymi formami detskogo tserebral'nogo paralicha posle lokomotornykh trenirovok v kombinatsii s elektrostimulyatsiei myshts i spinnogo mozga.

One of the cerebral palsy (CP) symptoms is the impairment of the ability to maintain upright standing. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the locomotor training combined with electrical transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) and functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the muscles to facilitate the restoration of the vertical posture function in the children presenting with cerebral palsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This article is designed to present the results of the study that included 19 patients at the age from 6 to 12 years. The severity of the CP clinical manifestations was estimated to be around 3 in accordance with The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). All the patients underwent 15 half-hour daily sessions of robotic mechanotherapy with the use of a locomotor training device. In 8 patients from the main group, each locomotor training session was accompanied by the TSCS and FES procedures. The patients of the control group underwent the locomotor training alone. RESULTS: The dynamics of regaining the standing posture regulation was evaluated by stabilometry that has revealed a significant increase of postural stability in the children of the main group in comparison with those in the control group. It was apparent as a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction of the length and the area of the center of pressure (COP) projection with open eyes (the 167 mm and 112 mm2 decrease of the median, respectively). In addition, the tendency toward the normalization of the COP projection in the sagittal plane was documented. CONCLUSION: The present study has demonstrated the normalization of the impaired balance control system in the children presenting with the severe form of cerebral palsy under the influence of the combined treatment with the use of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation and functional electrical stimulation of legs muscles supplemented by the locomotor training.

[Effects of locomotor training and functional electrical stimulation on postural function in children with severe cerebral palsy].

Cerebral palsy (CP) considerably impairs the ability to maintain upright stance. In the present study the effects of locomotor training and functional electrical stimulation (FES) on postural control have been determined in children (n = 27) aged 6­12 years with severe CP. The severity level of the CP clinical manifestations was determined as 3 according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) classification. All patients participated in 15 half-hour sessions of mechanic therapy using robot-assisted passive stepping. In 12 out of 27 children, the locomotion therapy was accompanied with FES. Stabilometry and plantography tests were performed before and after the course of interventions. In addition, similar posturographics tests were performed in 23 healthy children same age. Postural control in children with CP was characterized by a forward shift of the center of pressure (COP) projection; higher values of the COP trajectory area and length, as weel as by mean amplitude of the COP oscillations, and the absence of COP response to the eyes closed condition. After treatment, the posturographic characteristics had a tendency to normalization in relation to the values obtained in neurologically intact children. The improvement was observed in 43% of children without FES and in 75% of children which used FES. Analysis of plantograms revealed normalization of footprints in children received FES. Thus, it was demonstrated that FES combined with locomotor training resulted in the improvement in vertical posture control in children with severe CP.

[Neurorehabilitation of Patients with Cerebral Palsy].

Cerebral palsy is one of the common diseases that cause significant motor impairments. This review deals with new methods of motor rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy in terms of modern physiology, as well as with summarized and analyzed results of experimental studies on the effectiveness of these methods.

[Surgical elimination of instability in congenital spinal deformations in children]. / Khirurgicheskoe ustranenie nestabil'nosti pri vrozhdennykh porokakh razvitiia posvonochnika u detei.

Variants of congenital mechanical and dynamic instability of the spine in children are described. Experiences with the treatment of malformations of the spine resulting in mechanical (30 cases) and dynamic (139 cases) instability are analyzed. In most cases different titanium implants were used for dorsal fixation (150 operations). The specific feature of most interventions was their being performed in the period of active growth of the children (more that 60% were from 6 months to 5 years of age). It was found that the instrumental and osteoplasty stabilization failed to substantially influence the development of the spine.