Orthopedic Spine Surgery for Patients with Cerebral Palsy

Spine surgery is a significant event for patients with cerebral palsy (CP). The most common spine surgery performed in patients with CP is spinal fusion for neuromuscular scoliosis. Other surgical conditions in CP include cervical spondylotic myelopathy and, rarely, lumbar spondylolysis. Patients with CP bring unique challenges to the spine surgeon due to often severe deformity as well as poor baseline medical health. Due to these baseline characteristics, patients with CP are at high risk for complications after spine surgery. However, the risk to benefit ratio significantly favors surgery, which improves quality of life for both the patient and the family. Optimization of spine surgery in this patient population continues to evolve and improve outcomes. The focus of this chapter is the surgical management of spinal conditions among patients with CP.