Doctors diagnose Cerebral Palsy by testing an
infant's motor skills and looking carefully at the mother’s
and infant's medical history. In addition to checking for those
symptoms described above -- slow development, abnormal muscle tone,
and unusual posture -- a physician also tests the infant's reflexes
and looks for early development of hand preference.
Reflexes are movements that the body makes automatically
in response to a specific cue. For example, if a newborn baby is
held on its back and tilted so the legs are above its head, the
baby will automatically extend its arms in a gesture, called the
Moro reflex, that looks like an embrace. Babies normally lose this
reflex after they reach 6 months, but those with cerebral palsy
may retain it for abnormally long periods. This is just one of
several reflexes that a physician can check.
Doctors can also look for hand preference—a
tendency to use either the right or left hand more often. When
the doctor holds an object in front and to the side of the infant,
an infant with hand preference will use the favored hand to reach
for the object, even when it is held closer to the opposite hand.
During the first 12 months of life, babies do not usually show
hand preference. But infants with spastic hemiplegia, in particular,
may develop a preference much earlier, since the hand on the unaffected
side of their body is stronger and more useful.
The next step in diagnosing cerebral palsy is
to rule out other disorders that can cause movement problems. Most
important, doctors must determine that the child's condition is
not getting worse. Although its symptoms may change over time,
cerebral palsy by definition is not progressive. If a child is
continuously losing additional motor skills, the problem more likely
springs from elsewhere—including genetic diseases, muscle
diseases, disorders of metabolism, or tumors in the nervous system.
The child's medical history, special diagnostic tests, and, in
some cases, repeated check-ups can help confirm that other disorders
are not at fault.
The doctor may also order specialized tests to
learn more about the possible cause of cerebral palsy. One such
test is computed tomography, or CT, a sophisticated imaging technique
that uses X rays and a computer to create an anatomical picture
of the brain's tissues and structures. A CT scan may reveal brain
areas that are underdeveloped, abnormal cysts (sacs that are often
filled with liquid) in the brain, or other physical problems. With
the information from CT scans, doctors may be better equipped to
judge the long-term outlook for an affected child.
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a more
recent brain imaging technique that is rapidly gaining widespread
use for identifying brain disorders. This technique uses a magnetic
field and radio waves, rather than X rays. MRI gives better pictures
of structures or abnormal areas located near bone than CT.
A third test that can expose problems in brain
tissues is ultrasonography. This technique bounces sound waves
off the brain and uses the pattern of echoes to form a picture,
or sonogram, of its structures. Ultrasonography can be used in
infants before the bones of the skull harden and close. Although
it is less precise than CT and MRI scanning, this technique can
detect cysts and structures in the brain, is less expensive, and
does not require long periods of immobility.
Finally, physicians may want to look for other
conditions that are linked to cerebral palsy, including seizure
disorders, mental impairment, and vision or hearing problems.
When the doctor suspects a seizure disorder, an
electroencephalogram, or EEG, may be ordered. An EEG uses special
patches called electrodes placed on the scalp to record the electrical
currents inside the brain. This recording can help the doctor see
telltale patterns in the brain's electrical activity that suggest
a seizure disorder.
In dealing with Cerebral
Palsy, it is important to understand the available Cerebral
Palsy Treatments that go along with a Cerebral
Palsy Diagnosis after Cerebral
Palsy has been detected. Through extensive, technology based Cerebral
Palsy Research, there is hope for possible future Cerebral
Palsy Prevention.
If your child has any type of Cerebral
Palsy such as Athetoid
Cerebral Palsy, Spastic
Cerebral Palsy, or Ataxic
Cerebral Palsy, feel comfort in knowing you have made a step
in the right direction by contacting us.
