Brain Lesions in Children with Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

INTRODUCTION

Unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (US CP) is the second most common subtype of cerebral palsy.

AIM

The aim of the study was to analyze neuroimaging findings in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was hospital based, which has included 106 patients with US CP (boys 72/girls 34, term 82/preterm 24). Neuroimaging findings were classified into 5 groups: Brain maldevelopment, predominant white matter injury, predominant gray matter injury, non specific findings and normal neuroimaging findings.

RESULTS

Predominant white matter lesions where the most frequent (48/106,45.28%; term 35/preterm 13), without statistically significant difference between term and preterm born children (x2=0.4357; p=0.490517). Predominant gray matter lesions had 32/106 children, 30.19%; (term 25/preterm 7, without statistically significant difference between term and preterm born children (x2=0.902; p=0.9862). Brain malformations had 10/106 children, 9.43%, and all of them were term born. Other finding had 2/106 children, 1.89%, both of them were term born. Normal neuroimaging findings were present in14/106 patients (13.21%).

CONCLUSION

Neuroimaging may help to understand morphological background of motor impairment in children with US CP. Periventricular white matter lesions were the most frequent, then gray matter lesions.