Is non-operative management of childhood neurologic cavovarus foot effective?
The present study demonstrated efficacy for non-operative treatment of childhood neurologic cavovarus foot. Surgery was either avoided (in half of the cases followed up to end of growth) or delayed by a mean 4.5 years, allowing a single procedure before end of growth. We recommend initiating non-operative treatment of childhood cavovarus foot, associating untwisting walking cast and untwisting nocturnal splint, as soon as clinical progression is detected and/or Méary angle on lateral X-ray with block reaches 15°.
These standard QoL instruments did not predict patients at risk of profound global QoL impairments during acute treatment. Other than baseline QoL, no patient characteristics associated with significant QoL deterioration were identified.