Cerebral Palsy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Cerebral Palsy, including details on symptoms, causes, types.

Effectiveness of physiotherapy and conductive education interventions in children with cerebral palsy: a focused review.

Anttila H, Suoranta J, Malmivaara A, Mäkelä M, Autti-Rämö I

Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment, National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, Helsinki, Finland.

We conducted a criteria-based appraisal of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of physiotherapy and conductive education interventions in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Computerized bibliographic databases were searched without language restriction up to August 2007. Reviews on trials and descriptive studies were included. Two reviewers independently identified, selected, and assessed the quality of the reviews using the criteria from the Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire complemented with decision rules. Twenty-one reviews were included, six of which were of high methodological quality. Altogether, the reviews included 23 randomized controlled trials and 104 observational studies on children with CP. The high-quality reviews found some evidence supporting strength training, constraint-induced movement therapy, or hippotherapy, and insufficient evidence on comprehensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy interventions. Conclusions in the other reviews should be interpreted cautiously, although, because of the poor quality of the primary studies, most reviews drew no conclusions on the effectiveness of the reviewed interventions. Reviews on complex interventions in heterogeneous populations should use rigorous methods and report them adequately, closely following the Quality of Reporting of Meta-Analyses recommendations.

Published 22 May 2008 in Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 87(6): 478-501.
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Articles on Cerebral Palsy published 5 May 2008:

Mannose-binding lectin haplotypes may be associated with cerebral palsy only after perinatal viral exposure.   Am J Obstet Gynecol, 198(5): 509.e1-8.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the associations between infection, polymorphisms in the mannose-binding lectin gene (MBL), and cerebral palsy (CP). STUDY DESIGN: This was a case-control study using deoxyribonucleic acid from newborn screening cards of 443 Caucasian CP cases and 883 Caucasian controls to screen for 6 polymorphisms within the MBL gene. These polymorphisms combine to create haplotypes with high (HYPA), intermediate (LYQA, LYPA), low (LXPA), and defective ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Cerebral Palsy published 2 May 2008:

Reference curves for the Gross Motor Function Measure: percentiles for clinical description and tracking over time among children with cerebral palsy.   Phys Ther, 88(5): 596-607.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physical therapists frequently use the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) to examine gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Until now, reference percentiles for this measure were not available. The aim of this study was to improve the clinical utility of this gross motor measure by developing cross-sectional reference percentiles for the GMFM-66 within levels of the GMFCS. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

The interaction between executive attention and postural control in dual-task conditions: children with cerebral palsy.   Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 89(5): 834-42.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interference between a secondary task and a postural task in children with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: In this exploratory study, a dual-task paradigm was used in which children stood in either a wide or a narrow stance position while simultaneously performing a visual working memory task calibrated to be of equitable attentional demand between groups. SETTING: Study data were gathered in a university motor control laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Children with CP (n=8; ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Cerebral Palsy published 1 May 2008:

Surgical correction of scoliosis in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy using the unit rod instrumentation.   Spine, 33(10): 1133-40.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical and radiographic consecutive case series of 2 surgeons. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to present a large consecutive series of patients with cerebral palsy who were treated with the Unit rod instrumentation at a single institution. The goal was to report the incidence of surgical complications, degree of deformity correction, reoperation rate, prevalence of pseudarthrosis, and the caretakers' perceived outcome. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Children ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Cerebral Palsy published 24 April 2008:

Reliability of Ashworth and Modified Ashworth scales in children with spastic cerebral palsy.   BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 9: 44.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of spasticity is a difficult and unresolved problem, partly due to its complexity and the fact that there are many factors involved. In the assessment of spasticity in the pediatric disabled population, methods that are easily used in practice are ordinal scales that still lack reliability. A prospective cross-sectional observational study was planned to determine the reliability of the Ashworth Scale (AS) and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in children with spastic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Cerebral Palsy published 22 April 2008:

Botulinum toxin type A injections into the calf muscles for treatment of spastic equinus in cerebral palsy: a randomized trial comparing single and multiple injection sites.   Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 87(5): 386-94.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hypothesis that the multiple-site injection technique is associated with better outcomes than the single-point injection method in children with cerebral palsy and spastic equinus gait. DESIGN: A total of 17 children (nine boys, eight girls ages 1.8-9.4 yrs; eight hemiplegics, eight diplegics, one quadriplegic; levels I-IV with the Gross Motor Function Classification System) with 25 treated lower limbs were randomized into two groups: a single-point group receiving ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Body mass index measures in children with cerebral palsy related to gross motor function classification: a clinic-based study.   Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 87(5): 395-403.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of overweight in a clinic-based population of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and its association with gross motor function status. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. We calculated body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) from charted height and weight and recorded Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS levels I-V) on the basis of clinical descriptions in clinic notes for 137 children (2-18 yrs old) with CP seen in a pediatric rehabilitation clinic at ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Exercise programs for children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review of the literature.   Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 87(5): 404-17.

The purpose of this literature review, regarding all types of exercise programs focusing on cardiovascular fitness (aerobic and anaerobic capacity) and/or lower-extremity muscle strength in children with cerebral palsy (CP), was to address the following questions: (1) what exercise programs focusing on muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, or a combination are studied, and what are the effects of these exercise programs in children with CP? (2) What are the outcome measures that were used to ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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