[Cerebral palsy and age of sitting and walking in children weighing less than 1,500 g at birth].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the corrected age (CA) of acquisition for sitting and walking in very low birth weight infants with cerebral palsy and to estimate the probability of walking as a function of age of acquisition of sitting and type of cerebral palsy.


METHODS
Follow up study of very low birth weight infants (under 1500 g) admitted to the Neonatology Department of the Hospital 12 de Octubre in Spain between January 1991 and December 1996. At a corrected age of 2 years, 11.5% (34 children) were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Ages of attainment of sitting and walking were established by interview with the parents and were confirmed by examination. Age of attainment of sitting and type of cerebral palsy were investigated as possible predictors of ambulatory status.


RESULTS
Sitting was attained by 73% of the children. The probability of attainment of sitting at 9 months was 21% and at 18 months it was 68%. Only one child achieved sitting after 18 months. Fifty-three percent of the children became ambulatory. The probability of becoming ambulatory was 24% at 18 months and 47% at 30 months. If sitting was attained before 12 months of age the probability of becoming ambulatory was 47% at 18 months and 76% at 30 months. All children with spastic hemiplegia, 66% of those with diplegia and only 8% of those with quadriplegia became ambulatory.


CONCLUSIONS
Sitting by the age of 12 months was directly related to achieving ambulation. Irrespective of the type of cerebral palsy, all children with hemiplegia and more than 60% of those with diplegia ambulated while children with quadriplegia were much less likely to ambulate.
Pallás Alonso
C R
CR
Servicio de Neonatología, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid. jdlcruz@h12o.es
de La Cruz Bértolo
J
J
Medina López
M C
MC
Orbea Gallardo
C
C
Gómez Castillo
E
E
Simón De Las Heras
R
R
D000367:Age Factors; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D009048:Motor Skills; D016138:Walking