Single procedure tibialis anterior tendon shortening in combination with Achilles tendon lengthening in unilateral cerebral palsy improves swing phase dorsiflexion in gait.

Purpose: Tibialis anterior tendon shortening combined with tendon Achilles lengthening showed satisfactory short- and long-term outcomes for pes equinus treatment. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single tibialis anterior tendon shortening-tendon Achilles lengthening procedure for treating pes equinus, in a homogeneous unilateral cerebral palsy patient group.

Methods: Gait analysis was conducted on 22 unilateral cerebral palsy patients (mean age at surgery = 13.3 years, standard deviation = 3 years) before and within 2.5 years (standard deviation = 0.61 years) after the tibialis anterior tendon shortening-tendon Achilles lengthening procedure. Primary outcome measures included foot drop occurrence in swing, foot dorsiflexion and the first ankle rocker presence compared to healthy reference data. Movement analysis profile and gait profile score were also calculated for the entire gait cycle. The clinical exam and the A2 peak ankle power were analyzed. Statistical analysis used the paired Wilcoxon's sign rank test (p < 0.05).

Results: Post-operatively, significant improvements were observed in ankle dorsiflexion during swing (p = 0.0006) and reduced foot drop in swing (p = 0.0107). The occurrence of a first ankle rocker did not significantly change (p = 0.1489). Significant improvements in gait profile score and movement analysis profile for all joints and planes indicate overall gait quality improvement. The foot progression changed significantly (p = 0.0285), with a greater external orientation. Nineteen out of 22 patients were able to quit wearing their ankle foot orthoses.

Conclusion: Tibialis anterior tendon shortening and tendon Achilles lengthening combination yielded positive outcomes, showing increased foot dorsiflexion, first ankle rocker presence, and overall improved gait quality. These findings support the effectiveness of this surgical approach for treating pes equinus in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.