Operative treatment of cerebral palsy.

Although the overall patterns of deformity may be repetitive in cerebral palsy patients, it is extremely important to recognize that nothing replaces a careful examination of the individual patient and an individualized plan of approach. Our mistakes are rarely caused by technical errors, and we should not attribute our failures to the patient and resort to such statements as, "tendon transfer in cerebral palsy is unpredictable." Instead, we should feel confident that although a normal extremity will never result after operative treatment, contractures and spasticity can be diminished in such a way to make possible certain coordinated actions that will help our patients in their activities of daily living.