Intramuscular psoas lengthening improves dynamic hip function in children with cerebral palsy.

The efficacy of psoas surgery for the treatment of hip flexor dysfunction in cerebral palsy has long been a subject of debate. A retrospective, repeated-measures analysis was performed to examine the effect of psoas surgery based on gait and clinical and functional measures. The results of this study show that intramuscular psoas lengthening over the pelvic brim is a safe and effective way to improve the hip function of independently ambulatory children with cerebral palsy while maintaining hip flexor power. The data also support the use of the multivariate hip flexor index as an overall measure of hip function.