Surgical treatment of congenital muscular torticollis

Objective: Surgical treatment of congenital muscular torticollis with tripolar release of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, followed by modified postoperative treatment with a special orthosis. Indications: Muscular torticollis due to contracture of the sternocleidomastoid muscle; failure of conservative therapy. Contraindications: Torticollis due to bony anomaly or other muscular contractures. Surgical technique: Tenotomy of the sternocleidomastoid muscle occipitally and resection of at least 1 cm of the tendon at the sternal and clavicular origin. Postoperative management: Orthosis must be worn for 6 weeks 24 h/day, then for another 6 weeks 12 h/day. Results: A total of 13 patients were treated with tripolar release of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and modified postoperative management. Average follow-up time was 25.7 months. One patient presented with recurrence after 3 years. No intra- or postoperative complications were observed.