Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy for Spastic Cerebral Palsy: Report of 18 Cases Performed in the North of Vietnam

• Published in: World neurosurgery 2024-08, Vol.188, p.e128-e133
• Main Authors: Duc Lien, Nguyen, Van Linh, Nguyen, Cam Van, Nguyen Thi, Giang, Le Thi, King, Donald T., Tarren, Anna, Dat, Nguyen Dinh, Rocque, Brandon G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cerebral palsy; International collaboration; Selective dorsal rhizotomy; Vietnam
• ISSN: 1878-8750; 1878-8769; 1878-8769
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.05.055

The purpose of this report is to describe a case series of children undergoing selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) for the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy in Vietnam. Also described is an international cooperation model to facilitate the development of a new, multidisciplinary team for the evaluation and treatment of these children. Details of international collaboration are described, including in-person travel and virtual interactions. All cases of children younger than 18 years undergoing SDR for treatment of spastic cerebral palsy at a single center in Hanoi, Vietnam are described, including preoperative evaluation of spasticity and gait as well as results at 6 and 12 months. Results are summarized using descriptive statistics. Since the beginning of cooperation in training and transferring SDR techniques by experts from the United States, in the period from June 2016 to December 2022, 18 SDR surgeries were performed in Hanoi. Patients’ ages ranged from 2 to 14 years; 13 were male and 5 were female. Overall, approximately 60% of nerve rootlets were cut. Modified Ashworth Scale scores at 6 and 12 months after surgery in the hip, knee, and ankle joints showed improvement from preoperative values. There were 2 recorded complications: intracranial hypotension causing subdural hemorrhage and a case of skin infection at the incision site. The ongoing international cooperation between Vietnamese and American physicians has helped improve the surgical treatment of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy in Hanoi, providing children with a surgical treatment option with successful outcomes.