Cerebral Palsy: An Overview
Am Fam Physician. 2020 Feb 15;101(4):213-220.
Patient information: A handout on this topic is available at https://familydoctor.org/condition/cerebral-palsy.
Author disclosure: No relevant financial affiliations.
Cerebral palsy, which occurs in two to three out of 1,000 live births, has multiple etiologies resulting in brain injury that affects movement, posture, and balance. The movement disorders associated with cerebral palsy are categorized as spasticity, dyskinesia, ataxia, or mixed/other. Spasticity is the most common movement disorder, occurring in 80% of children with cerebral palsy. Movement disorders of cerebral palsy can result in secondary problems, including hip pain or dislocation, balance problems, hand dysfunction, and equinus deformity. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy is primarily clinical, but magnetic resonance imaging can be helpful to confirm brain injury if there is no clear cause for the patient’s symptoms. Once cerebral palsy has been diagnosed, an instrument such as the Gross Motor Function Classification System can be used to evaluate severity and treatment response. Treatments for the movement disorders associated with cerebral palsy include intramuscular onabotulinumtoxinA, systemic and intrathecal muscle relaxants, selective dorsal rhizotomy, and physical and occupational therapies. Patients with cerebral palsy often also experience problems unrelated to movement that need to be managed into adulthood, including cognitive dysfunction, seizures, pressure ulcers, osteoporosis, behavioral or emotional problems, and speech and hearing impairment. (Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(4):213–220. Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Family Physicians.)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines cerebral palsy as a group of disorders that affects an individual’s movement, posture, and balance.1 The clinical findings, which are due to an injury to the developing brain, are permanent and nonprogressive, but they can change over time.
WHAT’S NEW ON THIS TOPIC
Cerebral Palsy
Although selective dorsal rhizotomy is typically used for ambulatory spastic diplegia in children with Gross Motor Function Classification System level II or III cerebral palsy, more recent data suggest that it may also be helpful for more severe cases.
Assessment using a spasticity-related hip surveillance program combined with early, preventive surgical release has been demonstrated to reduce hip pain, hip dislocation, and the need for orthopedic salvage surgery.
SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
GMFCS = Gross Motor Function Classification System.
A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort.
SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Clinical recommendation | Evidence rating | Comments |
---|---|---|
Neuroimaging, preferably magnetic resonance imaging, may be obtained in a child with a permanent, nonprogressive disorder of motor function consistent with cerebral palsy if no cause is shown on perinatal imaging.9 | C | Guidelines from the American Academy of N |
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