Comparisons of right and left hemiparetic cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this study was to compare right and left hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Sixty children (34 males, 26 females) with hemiparetic cerebral palsy were recruited. Thirty-two children manifested left hemiparetic cerebral palsy and 28 right hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Low birth weight, seizures, a family history of epilepsy, severity of cerebral palsy, and computed tomographic findings were analyzed. No significant differences were found between the clinical patterns of hemiparesis in both groups. Gestational history, low birth weight, and perinatal pathologies were present in similar percentages in the left and the right hemiparetic cerebral palsy children. Significantly greater numbers of pregnancies (P = 0.003) and deliveries (P = 0.01) were observed in the left hemiparetic cerebral palsy group as compared with the right hemiparetic cerebral palsy group. Similarly, significantly (P = 0.03) lower values of the Apgar score were recorded in the left hemiparetic cerebral palsy group than the right hemiparetic cerebral palsy group. A similar percentage of neuroradiologic abnormalities was detected in both groups. Twenty-six (43.3%) children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy had epilepsy. The incidence of intractable epilepsy was similar in both groups. The results of this study are comparable with earlier reports on hemiparetic cerebral palsy.