Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb;57(2):246-250.
doi: 10.1111/jpc.15191. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

Early detection of cerebral palsy in high-risk infants: Translation of evidence into practice in an Australian hospital

Arrabella R King  1 , Catherine Machipisa  2 , Francyne Finlayson  2 , Michael C Fahey  1 , Iona Novak  3   4 , Atul Malhotra  1   5   6
Affiliations

Early detection of cerebral palsy in high-risk infants: Translation of evidence into practice in an Australian hospital

Arrabella R King et al. J Paediatr Child Health. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Aim: The early diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) allows children timely access to early intervention. In 2018, Monash Children's Hospital established an Early Neurodevelopment Clinic based upon evidence-based guidelines for the early diagnosis of CP in high-risk infants. In this study, we aimed to characterise the infants presenting to the clinic and determine the rate of CP diagnosis.

Methods: This study analysed data from infants attending the Early Neurodevelopment Clinic between May 2019 and April 2020. Infants at high-risk for CP attended the clinic at 3 months corrected age. Neuroimaging reports were reviewed, and a Prechtl's General Movement Assessment and Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination were performed. Infants were diagnosed as having typical development, delayed development, high-risk of CP or CP at the time of clinic attendance and referred on to the appropriate pathway.

Results: Ninety-six high-risk infants attended the clinic over the 1 year study period. Sixty-eight (71%) infants were extremely preterm or extremely low birthweight, and 28 (29%) were infants at born at older gestation with evidence of moderate to severe brain injury. Nine (9.6%) infants received a CP diagnosis and 12 (12.5%) were considered high-risk of CP. All infants with CP or high-risk of CP were referred to the Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service.

Conclusions: It is feasible to implement the early CP diagnosis guidelines into a high-risk infant follow-up clinic. Implementation of the guidelines allows for early diagnosis of CP and appropriate referral of high-risk infants.

Keywords: Hammersmith infant neurological examination; follow-up; general movement; neuroimaging.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Rosenbaum P, Paneth N, Leviton A et al. A report: The definition and classification of cerebral palsy April 2006. Dev. Med. Child Neurol. Suppl. 2007; 109: 8-14.
    1. ACPR. Report of the Australian Cerebral Palsy Register. Birth Years 1995-2012, Vol. 2018, 2018. Sydney: Cerebral Palsy Alliance; 2018.
    1. Hadders-Algra M, Boxum AG, Hielkema T, Hamer EG. Effect of early intervention in infants at very high risk of cerebral palsy: A systematic review. Dev. Med. Child Neurol. 2017; 59: 246-58.
    1. Novak I, Morgan C, Adde L et al. Early, accurate diagnosis and early intervention in cerebral palsy: Advances in diagnosis and treatment. JAMA Pediatr. 2017; 171: 897-907.
    1. Maitre NL, Burton VJ, Duncan AF et al. Network implementation of guideline for early detection decreases age at cerebral palsy diagnosis. Pediatrics 2020; 145: e20192126.