Infantile cerebral palsy (PCI), or simply cerebral palsy, is a group of disorders that affect the ability to maintain balance, posture, and movement. It’s about the most frequent motor disability in childhood, This is why experts emphasize the importance of paying special attention to early symptoms in order to make a diagnosis quickly and establish a more beneficial therapeutic regimen.
The child’s movement and posture problems are transcendental in the diagnosis of this problem. Likewise, 90% of cases of infantile cerebral palsy are Caused by brain damage before or during childbirth without knowing exactly what the cause is. This condition causes difficulties in turning over, rolling to the sides, sitting, standing, or walking, and even stiffness or flaccidity in the joints or body.
“Cerebral palsy does not get worse over time, but problems with movement and posture, as well as related conditions, such as intellectual disability, seizures, vision, hearing, or speech problems, and problems in the spine or joints can change throughout a person’s life”, explains David Farrington, head of the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Unit at the Quirónsalud Sevilla Maternity-Children’s Hospital.
“Cerebral palsy does not worsen over time, but the consequences of brain injury can change throughout life”
The specialist points out that screening tests for childhood cerebral palsy may require processes that include the monitoring, examination and evaluation of delays in motor or movement development, in order to diagnose the specific type of disorder affecting the child. Specifically, infantile cerebral palsy can occur before birth, during delivery, within the first month of life, or during the first few years of life.
Types of Cerebral Palsy
Experts classify childhood cerebral palsy based on the main type of movement disorder involved. The most common of all affects 80% of children suffering from this condition, the spastic. It is characterized because it is speed-dependent, that is, the resistance to joint mobilization increases the greater the speed of muscle stretching. It can appear on one side of the body or on all four extremities.
Instead, involuntary movements of the hands, arms, feet, and legs are a sign of dyskinetic infantile cerebral palsy. In this case, people’s muscle tone can be very rigid or very lax, changing from one day to the next or even on the same day.
Spastic PCI is the most common of all
On the other hand, a child with PCI may have problems with coordination, balance, or both. In this case, we talk about ataxic infantile cerebral palsy. The last possibility is mixed PCI, which occurs when the person suffers from spastic, dyskinetic and/or ataxic symptoms.
possible treatments
Within the range of options offered by neuro-orthopedics (the discipline responsible for the prevention and treatment of orthopedic problems in patients with neuromuscular diseases) multilevel surgery is found. The Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Unit of the Quirónsalud Sevilla Maternal and Child Hospital stands out for the use of this technique as a fundamental part of the treatment of these patients.
Multilevel surgery is recommended for patients between 8 and 12 years of age.
During this surgery, multiple surgical interventions are carried out in two or more segments of the lower limbs in ambulant patients with cerebral palsy. It is a complex operation where up to four specialists intervene and where up to 16 different procedures can be performed. “Multilevel surgery is recommended for pediatric patients between 8 and 12 years of age. Thanks to it, the patient is able to walk a greater distance, improving their level of activity and their ability to participate in society”, explains José Manuel Martínez Salas, a specialist in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and Neuro-Orthopedics at Hospital Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón.