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Entrapment neuropathy in patients with spastic cerebral palsy.

Frascarelli M, Frascarelli F, Gentile MG, Serrao M, De Santis F, Pierelli F, Santilli V

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.

OBJECTIVES: We performed nerve conduction and needle electromyographic tests in 29 patients with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) and severe limb deformities. Nerve conduction abnormalities were detected in 32 of 400 sensory or motor nerves, while 11 of 29 patients (37.9%) showed abnormal nerve conduction, indicating one or more entrapment neuropathies. Patients with SCP develop severe joint contractures and deformities due to spastic muscle tone and limited muscle and joint use/flexibility; these contractures and deformities can, in turn, cause nerve damage, possibly as a result of the stretching, angulation or compression mechanisms in the anatomic fibro-osseous passages, where nerves are particularly susceptible.

Published 15 August 2005 in Acta Neurol Scand, 112(3): 178-82.
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