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Published on: January 11, 2016
Infant Motor Profile and cerebral palsy: promising associations
Kirsten R Heineman1, Arend F Bos, Mijna Hadders-Algra
1Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. k.r.heineman@neuro.umcg.nl
Insights
The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) effectively identifies children with cerebral palsy (CP) by detecting differences in motor behavior scores throughout infancy. Low scores in variation and performance domains are key indicators for CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Development Assessment
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis in infancy is crucial for timely intervention.
- The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) is a novel qualitative tool assessing infant motor behavior.
- Early identification of CP can significantly improve long-term outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Infant Motor Profile (IMP) scores in infants with and without cerebral palsy (CP) at 18 months.
- To evaluate the predictive accuracy of IMP scores for CP development throughout infancy.
- To identify specific IMP domains most indicative of CP.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal assessment of 89 infants (59 preterm, 30 term) using the IMP at 4, 6, 10, and 12 months corrected age.
- Neurological outcome determined at 18 months using the Hempel neurological examination.
- Comparison of total and domain-specific IMP scores between infants who did and did not develop CP.
Main Results:
- Eight preterm infants (14%) were diagnosed with CP at 18 months (3 unilateral, 5 bilateral spastic CP).
- Infants with CP exhibited significantly lower IMP scores throughout infancy compared to those without CP.
- The variation and performance domains of the IMP showed the most pronounced differences and highest predictive ability for CP (AUC 0.89-0.99).
Conclusions:
- Infant Motor Profile (IMP) scores are strongly associated with the presence of cerebral palsy (CP) at 18 months.
- Low scores in the variation and performance domains of the IMP are significant predictors of CP.
- Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the predictive capabilities of the IMP for CP.
Aim:
The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) is a novel qualitative assessment of motor behaviour in infancy. The aim of this study was to determine whether IMP scores throughout infancy differ between children with and without cerebral palsy (CP) at 18 months. Furthermore, we evaluated the predictive ability of IMP scores throughout infancy for CP.
Method:
Fifty-nine preterm (median gestational age 29.7 wk, median birthweight 1285 g) and 30 term infants (median gestational age 40.1 wk, median birthweight 3588 g) were included. IMP assessments were longitudinally performed at (corrected) ages of 4, 6, 10, and 12 months. Neurological outcome was determined at 18 months with the neurological examination according to Hempel. We compared total and domain IMP scores throughout infancy between infants with and without CP.
Results:
In the term group none of the children was diagnosed with CP at the age of 18 months, in the preterm group eight had CP at 18 months (14%). Three had unilateral spastic CP, and five bilateral spastic CP. Children with CP (n=8) at 18 months had lower IMP scores throughout infancy than children without. These differences were most pronounced for the domains variation and performance. The predictive ability of the total IMP scores throughout infancy for CP was high (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.89-0.99) and most pronounced for the variation and performance domains.
Interpretation:
IMP scores throughout infancy and CP at 18 months are strongly related. In particular, low scores on the variation and performance domains were important indicators for CP. To determine the exact predictive ability of the IMP, further research is needed.
