Perinatal trauma and cerebral palsy

Abstract

In this article "perinatal trauma" is restricted to injuries that are sustained by the infant during the labor and delivery primarily as a result of mechanical factors, with the understanding that even under optimal circumstances, the process of birth is traumatic. Mechanical insults to the perinatal brain may result in primarily a hypoxic or ischemic injury to the cerebral tissues; those conditions are not discussed in this article. Although there are multiple types of perinatal trauma, this article is restricted mainly to those types that impact upon the subsequent development of cerebral palsy, although when applicable, other adverse developmental outcomes are mentioned.