[Cerebral palsy and perinatal asphyxia in full term newborn infants].

Actual data on the frequency of cerebral palsy (CP) and "infirmité motrice cérébrale" (IMC), and their relationship with perinatal asphyxia and perinatal managements, are presented. In France, the frequency of IMC at 9 years of age, approximates 1 per thousand, for the 1972, 1976, 1981 generations. Three surveys, two English and one Australian, show an association between perinatal asphyxia and CP. However computation of percent attributable risk indicates that asphyxia can explain only one case of CP out of six among term neonates. These surveys show also that 10% of CP only could be prevented by improving perinatal managements. This, in addition to other factors such as the increase in survival of very preterm babies, explains the absence of a significant reduction of CP frequency despite improvements in the perinatal care.