Physicians' and physical therapists' evaluations of cerebral-palsied children for Achilles tendon lengthening.

Ten orthopedic surgeons and 10 physical therapists working with spastic cerebral-palsied children were interviewed about the evaluation process they used to assess surgical lengthening of the achilles tendon. Objective and subjective considerations were described and wide variations in responses were found. No single evaluation criterion or subjective factor was mentioned by the majority of either group. In addition, the extent of interprofessional collaboration in presurgical assessment was described. Those respondents who consulted with other health professionals closely agreed about the purpose of the consultation. It is concluded clinicians need to identify more precisely the essential components of the evaluation process for this type of surgery.