The technique used in performing selective posterior rhizotomies to tr
eat spastic cerebral palsy remains controversial. One hundred nine chi
ldren who had undergone selective posterior rhizotomies were studied 6
months after their surgery. Their residual spasticity was correlated
to the number of roots and whether or not abnormally responding roots
were left, in order to validate the surgical technique used to treat s
pastic cerebral palsy at most neurosurgical centers in North America.
The children were divided into three groups (group A: children who had
their L2-S1 roots tested and selectively lesioned, n=15; group B: chi
ldren who had their L2-S2 roots tested and selectively lesioned, n=62;
group C: children who had their L2-S2 roots tested and whose lesionin
g was directed both by the response to the stimulation and mapping of
the S1-S3 dorsal roots for afferent pudendal nerve activity, n=32). Cl
inically significant residual spasticity was present in the gastrocnem
ius in 33% of the group A children, 11% of the group B children, and 6
% of the group C children. We found that there was no significant incr
ease in residual spasticity in the group C children when abnormally re
sponding roots were not cut in order to preserve pudendal nerve activi
ty. This study shows that the inclusion of the S2 roots decreases the
amount of residual spasticity (P<0.01). It also shows that leaving abn
ormally responding S2 roots to preserve pudendal nerve activity does n
ot affect the incidence of postoperative spasticity (P>0.1).