[Congenital hemiplegia. A disease with manifold problems].
Congenital hemiplegia, defined as unilateral motor disability, is the hemiplegic type of cerebral palsy. The prevalence of congenital hemiplegia is estimated to be about 0.41-0.79/1000 live births. We examined 223 children (122 boys and 101 girls) suffering from congenital hemiplegia at the age of 3 months to 12 years. Mild hemiplegia was found in 31%, a moderate form in 48%, and a severe form in 21%. The upper limb was affected in more than half of the patients, only the lower extremity in one third, and both upper and lower limbs in 20%. Electroencephalographic abnormalities were found in 75.8% of the patients. The most frequent type of epilepsy was complex partial seizures (33%). Severity of the motor handicap, grade of EEG abnormalities, and the prevalence of epilepsy showed a significant correlation. The magnitude of the lesions in neuroimaging directly correlated with these three clinical variables, particularly in children with cortical and subcortical defects (84.2%). Strabismus was the most common visual impairment (17%), while hearing impairment was found in 8% of the patients. Of them, 38.3% showed no cognitive deficits, while those with severe congenital hemiplegia were found to have a lower intelligence quotient.
Panteliadis
C
C
Abt. für Pädiatrie und Neuropädiatrie, Universitätskinderklinik, Thessaloniki. cpantel@hol.gr
Tzitiridou
M
M
Pavlidou
E
E
Hagel
C
C
Covanis
A
A
Jacobi
G
G
D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D017029:Epilepsy, Complex Partial / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed