title: Gait control in spinal palsy.
abstract: Developmental motor impairment with lower limb spasticity most commonly corresponds to cerebral palsy of the spastic diplegia type. Here we describe a 4-year-old girl whose locomotor phenotype reflects early cortico-spinal lesion at the spinal level. This child has developmental spastic paraparesis secondary to D4-D8 cord compression. We analysed her gait using the ELITE optoelectronic system and compared it to that of six normal age-matched controls and six age-matched children with leucomalacic spastic diplegia. Gait characteristics of the patient included preservation of head orientation and arm swing similar to findings in normal controls and contrasting with children with spastic diplegia. She also had truncal instability and displayed lack of selectivity in lower limb movement as in spastic diplegia and in contrast with normal controls. This may reflect differences in locomotor control between developmental spasticity of cerebral and spinal origin. The latter might correspond to spinal palsy defined as abnormal movement and posture secondary to non-progressive pathological processes affecting the immature spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Free University of Brussels (ULB), 15 Avenue JJ Crocq, 1020 Brussels, Belgium. bermard.dan@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.forename: Ethel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bouillot
authors.forename: Leena D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Mewasingh
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Devalck
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bengoetxea
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christophe
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chéron
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019416:Head Movements / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007866:Leg / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae