What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition consisting of group of problems that affect both posture and body movement. It’s caused by insufficient brain development or brain injury. Cerebral Palsy is considered among the leading causes of lasting disabilities for children.
The condition causes uncontrolled reflex movements, it also contributes to muscle tightness for the entire body or some of its parts. Such problems may vary in intensity from moderate to severe. Also, other complications as:
- Epileptic seizures
- Intellectual disability
- Vision problems
- Blindness
- Deafness
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, but the condition can be manageable by therapy, medication, and surgery. Access to the surgery treatment is not far from you, as our surgeons are among few in the world that specialize in Selective Percutaneous Myofascial Lengthening surgery (SPML).
What Cause Cerebral Palsy?
CP itself is a result of abnormality in child brain development during pregnancy and before birth. The origin of such disruption in still unknown, although several factors that may eventually lead to abnormal brain development are well known and include:
- Asphyxia (oxygen deficiency) during difficult birth.
- Infections causing infant brain inflammation
- Maternal infections
- Genes mutations, that affect brain development
- Infant head injury
- Fetal stroke
Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
With time as the child grows up, the number of conditions and problems related to Cerebral Palsy start to appear and then become clearer. They might include:
- Motor skills development delays.
- Involuntary movements
- Ataxia (lack of muscle coordination)
- Athetosis (involuntary writhing movements)
- Muscle Rigidity (involuntary continual muscle tension)
- Spasticity (stiff muscle and continuously muscle contraction)
- Possible variations in muscle tone
- Urinary Incontinence (inability to fully control urine passing)
- Walking difficulties
- Dysarthria (speech development difficulty)
- Dysphagia (Swallowing difficulty)
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
- Scoliosis (abnormal spine twisting)
- Vision loss
- Hearing loss
and other possible symptoms.
Since abnormality related to CP stays stable, these symptoms and others don’t usually worsen as the patient grows up and get older.
Also, it is important to note that the disabilities related to Cerebral Palsy can affect one part of the body, limb, part or the entire body.
Diagnosing Cerebral Palsy
Medical Exam
Once you notice irregularities with your child’s physical or intellectual development, make sure to see a paediatrician. The doctor will thoroughly exam the child, analyse posture, movements and reflexes.
Other specialists (psychologist, physiotherapist and etc...) will also take part later.
Tests and Analysis
It is essential to conduct various tests and results to rule out any other conditions that have similar symptoms to Cerebral Palsy (ex. muscular dystrophy and etc...). Then advance tests are make to confirm CP diagnosis, these analysis include:
- Blood test
- Computerised tomography scan (CT-scan)
- Ultrasound scan
- Electromyogram (EMG)
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan (MRI)
Treating Cerebral Palsy
Despite the fact that Cerebral Palsy isn’t curable, there are several treatments that can help to manage and treat many of the symptoms. CP treatment fields are:
- Medications
- Therapies
- Surgery
We specialize in Orthopaedic surgery treatments. Our surgeons have performed hundreds of operation both in Ukraine and abroad, with outstanding success rate and helped bring happiness to hundreds of children suffering from Cerebral Palsy’s symptoms.
Selective Percutaneous Myofascial Lengthening (SPML) surgery is (for lack of better words) a house brand. SPML procedures are performed on a daily basis by our surgeons; it has restored mobility, posture and enhanced the quality of the lives of many children, certainly positively influenced by their families.