Most children with severe cerebral palsy have starkly asymmetric pelvic bones, Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers have discovered.The newly identified misalignment can affect how surgeries of the pelvis, spine and surrounding structures are performed, the researchers say.
Previous studies of patients with cerebral palsy have reported asymmetry above the pelvis and misalignment of the hips, but this new report, the researchers say, is the first one to show misalignment between the two sides of the pelvic bone itself.
Most children with severe cerebral palsy have significant spinal curvatures (scoliosis) that often require surgery. Because the pelvis and the spine are connected, any surgical procedures to correct scoliosis should take into account the possibility of a misaligned pelvis, the investigators say. The degree of the asymmetry, they add, should dictate the size, type and placement of the surgical screws and rods used to stabilize the spine and pelvis in such corrective procedures.
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