What to Expect During the Two-Day Mobility Surgery Evaluation
Before your evaluation, the CP team will thoroughly review your child’s medical records and imaging studies. The comprehensive, two-day visit includes four components:
- An evaluation in the Surgical Spasticity Clinic, where a pediatric neurosurgeon, physical therapist and rehab medicine doctor will examine your child and consider surgical options to reduce their muscle spasticity
- Testing in the Motion Analysis Lab to identify the underlying causes of your child’s walking difficulties
- An assessment in our Orthopaedic Cerebral Palsy Clinic where an orthopaedic surgeon may order additional imaging studies
- A comprehensive review and recommendation from the entire cerebral palsy team
Personalized Recommendations for Your Child
During the comprehensive review, the CP team will discuss your child’s condition, needs and goals. They will present you with a unified treatment recommendation, talk with you about it and answer all of your questions.
You will leave Cincinnati Children’s with the team’s expert plan to improve your child’s ability to walk now and in the future. This plan could include surgical recommendations:
- Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR)
- Surgery to implant a baclofen pump
- An orthopaedic surgery, such as tendon lengthening, tendon transfer or functional electrical stimulation
If the team recommends surgery, and you are interested in having the surgery done at Cincinnati Children’s, we will discuss the next steps with you in detail.
If the team recommends not having surgery or delaying surgery, we will still provide you with comprehensive treatment recommendations. These may include changing your child’s medications or modifying your child’s physical therapy or occupational therapy regimen, for example.
We will share our treatment recommendations with your child’s pediatrician and local care team, and we can serve as a resource to them as needed. You and your child are always welcome to return to Cincinnati Children’s for follow-up care or evaluations in our Rehab Medicine CP Clinic. We’ll provide you with contact information for our care team in case you have additional questions after you return home.
Our Promise to You and Your Child
The cerebral palsy team at Cincinnati Children’s has extensive experience in caring for children with complex needs. We know what their families need to thrive, too. If your child has a comprehensive two-day mobility surgical evaluation, you can count on us to provide:
- An efficient, well-coordinated visit
- Answers to any questions you have about your child’s needs and treatment options
- A written report and recommendations for you to take home
- The information you need to move forward with treatment
- Details about what surgery would involve, including after-care instructions
- A realistic idea of how surgery could help your child (or why it might be best to pursue nonsurgical options)
- A written report for your local providers to help them understand the treatment recommendations and what their team can do to help your child
A comprehensive two-day mobility surgical evaluation may be an important first step in helping your child experience a better quality of life. We encourage you to consider this option and contact us for more information about getting started.
