Early surgical correction in the cerebral palsied hand

The 5 year follow-up of 20 children suffering from cerebral palsy who had undergone early surgical release procedures for deformities of the hand has indicated certain positive advantages for this method of treatment. In all cases there was an improved cosmetic appearance of the hand and improved function to a greater or lesser degree, as compared with the preoperative state. Night splints have been retained, as it was found that deformities tend to recur if splintage is discarded completely. None of the patients has developed fixed contractures, and to date improvement in function has been sufficient to obviate the need for further surgical procedures.