Acquired cervical spine impairment in young adults with cerebral palsy

Three patients with spastic cerebral palsy and no associated movement disorder--each of whom presented with loss of functional skills and delay in the definitive diagnosis of cervical myelopathy--are reported, in order to increase awareness of the possibility of cervical spine pathology in these adults. The possibility of myelopathy should be investigated when considering the etiology of functional deterioration. A functional neurological examination for all multiply disabled individuals is proposed as a reference for future comparison.