Bioengineering changes in spastic cerebral palsy groups following cerebellar stimulation

Abstract

Quantitative bioengineering tests were performed on 30 spastic cerebral palsy (CP) patients who underwent chronic cerebellar stimulation (CCS) using the fully implantable pulse generator (Neurolith 601, 1.1-1.8 microC/cm2/phase). Using respiratory inductive plethysmography to measure 8 patients with paroxysmal and/or ataxic breathing patterns, 5 were shown to revert to normal with 3 others markedly improved within 5 months of CCS. Compliance testing of the ankle was performed on 4 patients who showed improvement in 9 of the 16 tests performed. Motor performance ability was evaluated with 9 comprehensive tests in 17 patients. Following 1-2 weeks of CCS, 52% showed performance increases greater than 10%, increasing to 62% during the first year.