When do brain abnormalities in cerebral palsy occur? An MRI study.

The authors used MRI to analyse retrospectively the brain images of patients with cerebral palsy (CP) to evaluate its the role in the assessment of brain abnormalities and injury, and the relationship of pre-, peri- and postnatal events to CP. 70 patients with CP aged two to 16 years who underwent MRI were divided into four groups: group 1 (26 patients) comprised subjects whose CP was considered to have been caused by neuronal migration disorders in the embryonal stage; group 2 (30 patients) contained subjects whose cause was vascular disorders; in group 3 patients (five) the cause was intra-uterine infection; and CP clearly attributable to birth asphyxia (group 4) was noted in only nine patients. The results indicate that CP of term infants is often the result of prenatal factors, and their MRI findings indicated migration and cerebral infarction. Brain MRI is an essential examination in identifying the factors causing brain damage in CP.