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[Physiopathology of ocular movements in infantile cerebral paralysis]
R Escobar1, A Ronquillo, F Escobar
1Departamento de Oftalmología, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, España.
Insights
Cerebral palsy (CP) is permanent brain damage in children, often caused by neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy. Strabismus affects 50% of children with CP, differing significantly from the general population, but responds to treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
Context:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive brain injury affecting children from intrauterine life up to two years old.
- Neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy is the most frequent cause of cerebral palsy.
- Diffuse cerebral damage in CP often leads to associated conditions like epilepsy, intellectual disability, and oculomotor abnormalities.
Purpose:
- To highlight the high prevalence of strabismus in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
- To compare the incidence of strabismus in cerebral palsy patients with the general preschool population.
- To note the responsiveness of strabismus and refractive errors to standard therapeutic interventions.
Summary:
- Strabismus is identified in 50% of children with cerebral palsy.
- This prevalence is substantially higher than the 2% incidence observed in the general preschool-aged population.
- Both strabismus and refractive errors associated with cerebral palsy can be effectively managed with conventional treatments.
Impact:
- Emphasizes the significant impact of cerebral palsy on visual development and ocular alignment.
- Underscores the importance of ophthalmological screening and early intervention for children with cerebral palsy.
- Suggests that timely treatment can improve visual outcomes and quality of life for affected children.
Abstract:
Cerebral palsy is a permanent and non-progressive brain damage due to various causes affecting a child from the intrauterine life up to the first two years of life. Its most common cause is neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy. The cerebral damage is diffuse so that it is commonly associated with epilepsy, mental retardation, dysarthria, hearing loss and oculomotor abnormalities. Strabismus is found in 50% of children with cerebral palsy. This prevalence is significantly different from the 2% incidence of oculomotor abnormalities in the pre-school age, it is noteworthy that strabismus and refractive errors respond to the classical therapeutic measures.