Synonyms in the broadest sense
The term “infantile cerebral palsy” comes from Latin and means “brain paralysis”, it is often abbreviated as ICP. Infantile cerebral palsy belongs to the group of movement disorders and is a disease that is the basis of early childhood brain damage. It usually manifests itself in disorders of the muscle and nervous system, but other systems in the brain can also be affected.
For example, speech, thinking or even hearing can be affected. However, the focus is more on movement disorders and not necessarily on possible reductions in intelligence. In the case of mild forms, the latter may even be absent or negligible.
Depending on the severity of the case, a normal school can be attended without special integrative focuses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain belongs to the typical diagnostic spectrum of infantile cerebral palsy. With this form of imaging, circulatory disorders of the brain, such as bleeding or lack of oxygen, can be depicted.
The disease can also result in an expansion of the cerebral ventricles, which is easily visible by MRI examination. Special forms of magnetic resonance imaging can differentiate between damaged and functional nerve cells, centers and nerve tracts. However, an unambiguous diagnosis cannot be made by means of the MRI examination; rather, it serves to exclude other possible causes and can confirm the suspicion of infantile cerebral palsy.
Causes
There are many different causes for infantile cerebral palsy. Often it is not possible to explain exactly why brain damage has occurred. Among the causes are:
- Cerebral hemorrhages, occur especially in premature infants
- Lack of oxygen, for example during a complicated birth
- Infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy
First of all, every examination should be preceded by a thorough anamnesis.
Your doctor will ask questions about the birth process and pregnancy. It is important that you also report what you noticed about your child. For example, drinking patterns, listlessness and restlessness can be indications of illness.
This is followed by a physical examination of the child. The nerves and muscles are tested and attention is also paid to the position of the legs, arms and trunk. In order to diagnose “infantile cerebral palsy”, blood, urine and neural fluid (lumbar puncture) are also examined.
In addition, an x-ray can be taken, the brain waves measured, a sample (biopsy) of the muscle taken and the eyes and ears examined. Most important, however, is the examination of the brain with an MRI. In infants, an ultrasound can also be made through the fontanel.
The fontanel is the part of the skull that has not yet grown together in infants and therefore offers a good view of the skull by ultrasound. This examination is completely painless. Metabolic diagnostics and chromosome analysis can also be performed to determine the cause of the disease.
In the literature, the frequency is given as 0.02% to 0.2%. The frequency has increased over the years. This has two different reasons. Firstly, ICPs are surviving more and more frequently and secondly, the rate of premature births is increasing more and more. The earlier a child is born, the more susceptible it is to diseases and, for example, brain haemorrhages.
