[Surgical and apparative treatment of patients with meningomyelocele with special reference to their hip problems]

Children with thoracic lesions should have hip surgery done only if this is necessary for the child to be able to walk with braces. In lumbar lesions hip surgery and especially SHARRARD'S procedure of iliopsoas transfer is done to establish muscular balance. The amount of braces for walking can thus be reduced. In sacral lesions there is no place for hip surgery, as functional gain would not be expected.