Article

The aim of this study was to report the responsiveness and minimal
clinically important difference of the Edinburgh Visual Gait Score (EVGS), used
to measure gait deviations in children with cerebral palsy. DESIGN: Fifty
ambulant children with spastic diplegia (Gross Motor Function Classification
System levels II and III) aged between 6 and 19 yrs were recruited for this
longitudinal study. The participants were evaluated before surgery and at 6 and
12 mos after surgery. The change in EVGS at these time points was used to
calculate effect sizes and minimal clinically important differences. RESULTS:
Friedman analysis of variance showed a significant difference (chi2 = 60.69, P =
0.000) in the EVGS scores at 6 and 12 mos when compared with baseline. Effect
sizes at 6 and 12 mos were large (1.19 and 1.22, respectively), indicating a
visible difference in gait .
The minimal clinically important differences of EVGS
at 6 and 12 mos were 11 and 15, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The EVGS is an outcome
measure that can be used to evaluate the effect of orthopedic surgical
intervention in children with cerebral palsy. Differences of 11 and 15 points on
the EVGS are required to suggest that changes in gait are attributable to
intervention when group means are considered.

Langue : ANGLAIS