Cerebral Palsy and Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy Flashcards
What is the definition of cerebral palsy?
Permanent neurological problems resulting from damage to the brain around the time of birth.
What proportion of cerebral palsy cases are due to problems during labour itself?
1 in 10
What are some antenatal causes of cerebral palsy?
Maternal infections
Trauma during pregnancy
What are some perinatal causes of cerebral palsy?
Birth asphyxia
Pre-term birth
What are some postnatal causes of cerebral palsy?
Meningitis
Severe neonatal jaundice
Head injury
What are some types of cerebral palsy?
Spastic
Dyskinetic
Ataxic
Mixed
What is spastic cerebral palsy?
Hypertonia and reduced function due to damage to upper motor neurones
What is dyskinetic cerebral palsy?
Problems controlling muscle tone, with hypertonia and hypotonia, causing athetoid movements and oro-motor problems
Due to damage to basal ganglia
What is ataxic cerebral palsy?
Problems with coordinated movement resulting from damage to the cerebellum
What is mixed cerebral palsy?
Mix of spastic, dyskinetic and/or ataxic features
What are the patterns of spastic cerebral palsy?
- Monoplegia: one limb affected
- Hemiplegia: one side of the body affected
- Diplegia: four limbs are affected, but mostly the legs
- Quadriplegia: four limbs are affected more severely, often with seizures, speech disturbance and other impairments
What are some clinical features of cerebral palsy?
Mobility problems (spasticity and orthopaedic)
Learning difficulties
Epilepsy
Visual/hearing impairment
Communication difficulties
Feeding difficulties
Sleep problems
Behavioural problems
What does a hemiplegic/diplegic gait indicate?
Upper motor neurone lesion
What does a broad based/ataxic gait indicate?
Cerebellar lesion
What does a high stepping gait indicate?
Foot drop or lower motor neurone lesion
