Cerebral Palsy

Bridging Gaps in Cerebral Palsy Treatment
Bridging Gaps in Cerebral Palsy Treatment 1024 575 Erin Gregory

Researchers investigate disparities in selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) access and follow-up care. A surgical procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) can help improve the lives of young patients living with cerebral palsy (CP) by reducing muscle stiffness in the lower limbs. A recent study published in Pediatric Neurology, conducted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s experts Jeffrey…

Does Etiology Impact Outcomes After Hemispherectomy?
Does Etiology Impact Outcomes After Hemispherectomy? 1024 575 Jessica Nye, PhD

Patients with cerebral palsy (CP) who have comorbid medically intractable epilepsy (MIE) had similar quantitative functional and seizure outcomes following functional hemispherotomy (FH) or anatomic hemispherectomy (AH), regardless of vascular or dysplastic MIE etiologies.   Early onset seizures are a common comorbidity in CP, affecting between 30% and 50% of patients. Among the patients with…

New Guidelines for Care of Children With Cerebral Palsy
New Guidelines for Care of Children With Cerebral Palsy 1024 683 Abbie Miller
Young child with Cerebral Palsy

Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine highlight advances in diagnosis, care and outcomes for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. In late 2022, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine released new guidelines to help primary…

Low-Resource Screening Tool Demonstrates Superior Predictive Value for Cerebral Palsy in Infants
Low-Resource Screening Tool Demonstrates Superior Predictive Value for Cerebral Palsy in Infants 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

The use of lower-resource screening tools for cerebral palsy in infants can help increase early detection of the condition and promote access to early interventions.   A recent study reported that the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), when compared with the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP), had the better predictive value for detecting cerebral…

Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients With Non-ambulatory Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy
Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients With Non-ambulatory Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy 600 400 Mary Bates, PhD

Study indicates that quality of life in young people with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy decreases with the use of more antiseizure medications. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital assessed the relationship between epilepsy-specific characteristics and proxy-reported health-related quality of life in children and young people with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy. The findings indicate that…

Novel Intervention Helps Infants With Cerebral Palsy Develop Arm and Hand Function
Novel Intervention Helps Infants With Cerebral Palsy Develop Arm and Hand Function 1024 683 Abbie Miller

A new NIH-funded randomized controlled trial shows that an intervention combining a patented soft restraint harness, therapist coaching and parent training increases reach smoothness, fine motor skills and tactile sensation in the more-affected upper extremity. For the first time in infants with CP under 2, a clinical trial of this type of intervention was shown…

How a Network of Hospitals Reduced Average Age at Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis to 9.5 Months
How a Network of Hospitals Reduced Average Age at Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis to 9.5 Months 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

In just one year, hospital teams working as part of a network to implement international cerebral palsy diagnosis guidelines successfully reduced average age at diagnosis from 19.5 months to 9.5 months. More than 50% of all eventual cerebral palsy (CP) cases spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, making early CP evaluation a crucial…

“Learn From Every Patient” to Improve Clinical Care
“Learn From Every Patient” to Improve Clinical Care 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

How can busy clinicians tending to clinical care simultaneously conduct translational research and improve treatments for patients? The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Cerebral Palsy team recently reported an evidence-based change in practice — eliminating annual screening X-rays in patients mildly affected by CP — facilitated by use of the Learn From Every Patient (LFEP) Program. LFEP…

A Simple Measure to Help Early Detection of Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy in Infants
A Simple Measure to Help Early Detection of Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy in Infants 150 150 Jeb Phillips

An easily derived Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination asymmetry score, in combination with the total HINE score, differentiates typically developing infants from those with hemiplegic CP. While cerebral palsy can now be diagnosed at 6 months of age – allowing for earlier interventions and better potential outcomes than ever before – evaluation can be difficult in…

Prenatal Magnesium Sulfate May Not Reduce Cerebral Palsy Severity as Once Believed
Prenatal Magnesium Sulfate May Not Reduce Cerebral Palsy Severity as Once Believed 1024 575 Jeb Phillips

Improved neonatal care and earlier diagnosis and management may instead be reason for a decrease in cerebral palsy severity. A large randomized controlled trial showed in 2008 that when pregnant women at imminent risk of preterm delivery were given magnesium sulfate, their children had reduced rates of moderate or severe cerebral palsy. As a result…

Neurosurgery May Provide Lasting Relief From Spasticity
Neurosurgery May Provide Lasting Relief From Spasticity 1024 575 Abbie Miller

Selective dorsal rhizotomy can provide life-changing results, but patients work hard in physical and occupational therapy to get there. When Sushma Manjunatha watches her daughter sleep, she sees something new. Instead of being tightly curled up, with legs pulled in, her daughter’s legs are stretched out, finally relaxed. This change is the result of a…