Prognostic efficiency of diagnostic blockade as a method of modeling the result of selective neurotomy of the motor branches of the median nerve in patients with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND: A feature of the disease course in patients with spastic cerebral palsy is a combination of motor neurological disorders with contractures in extremity joints. Neurosurgical methods are currently the main treatment for correcting the pathological tone of the “spastic hand.” However, the decreased tone does not affect secondary (fixed) contractures; therefore, the effectiveness of this type of treatment is extremely dependent on the accurate selection of a certain category of patients. Presumably, diagnostic blockade of the median nerve can create a reversible model for planned neurosurgical treatment. The inclusion of this technique as a standard for examining a patient with spastic cerebral palsy before invasive tone-lowering treatment can radically promote treatment effectiveness.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the prognostic effectiveness of diagnostic blockade as a method of modeling the result of selective neurotomy of the motor branches of the median nerve in patients with cerebral palsy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal prospective study enrolled 39 children (aged 5–18 years) with spastic cerebral palsy. Before neurosurgical treatment, each patient underwent a diagnostic n. medianus under electrical stimulation and ultrasound control. After a diagnostic blockade, only patients who had a good functional and goniometric response were selected for the study, which served as an indication for selective neurotomy of the median nerve, and orthopedic treatment was performed in children with a negative event. Patients referred for neurotomy underwent a standardized examination before treatment during the diagnostic blockade and after neurosurgical treatment. The examination included the assessment of the amplitude of passive and active movements in the joints of the upper extremities, muscle tone, and functional capabilities of the upper extremities and dynamometry.

RESULTS: In comparison with the initial data, a significant increase in the amplitude of passive and active hand extension, passive and active abduction of the first finger, and upper limb functional capabilities according to the MACS classification and the Miller scale was determined both after the diagnostic blockade and after selective neurotomy of the motor branches of the median nerve.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the study, the effect of the diagnostic blockade and neurosurgical treatment outcomes are unidirectional, which allows the use of blockade as a method for modeling the possible result in clinically complex cases of spastic hand. The use of diagnostic blockade in clinical practice makes it possible to adequately assess the severity of fixed contractures and reduce the pathological hypertonicity of the target muscles. Diagnostic blockade allows for the collection of sufficient information to make an objective decision about which type of treatment is most preferable for each patient – neurosurgical, orthopedic, or sequential use of both methods.