Hemiparetic cerebral palsy: etiological risk factors and neuroimaging

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2001-03, Vol.59 (1), p.29-34
• Main Authors: Piovesana, A M, Moura-Ribeiro, M V, Zanardi Vd, Gonçalves, V M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cerebral Palsy - diagnosis; Cerebral Palsy - etiology; Cerebral Palsy - pathology; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; NEUROSCIENCES; Paresis - diagnosis; Paresis - etiology; Paresis - pathology; Pregnancy; Prenatal Diagnosis; PSYCHIATRY; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 0004-282X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2001000100007

The purpose of this paper, which was conducted on 175 children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (H-CP), was to verify the etiological risk period for this disease. Etiological risk factors (ERF) were detected through anamnesis: 23% in the prenatal period, 18% in the perinatal period and 59% of the patients the period was undefined (ERF in the prenatal and perinatal period was 41% and no ERF was 18% of the cases. The computerized tomographic scan (CT) and MRI were performed on all the patients, who were then classified according to their etiopathogenic data: CT1= normal (18%); CT 2= unilateral ventricular enlargement (25%); CT 3= cortical/ subcortical cavities (28%); CT4= hemispheric atrophy and other findings (14%); CT 5= malformations (15%). CT 5 was associated with physical malformations beyond the central nervous system and with prenatal ERF's, while CT 2 was associated with the perinatal ERF's, mainly in premature births. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 57 patients and demonstrated a good degree of concordance with the CT. Etiology remained undefined in only 37% of the cases after neuroimaging was related to ERF. A high perinatal RF frequency (59%) was observed and emphasized the need for special care during this period.