Early Screening for Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neonatal screening
• Pediatric neurology
• Developmental pediatrics

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor disability.
• Preterm infants, especially those born before 28 weeks gestation or with extremely low birth weight, face heightened CP risk due to brain vulnerability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the predictive accuracy and clinical utility of various neonatal screening methods for early CP diagnosis.
• To identify effective screening tools for timely intervention in high-risk preterm infants.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic review of evidence-based research was conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science.
• Inclusion criteria focused on preterm infants at high risk for CP, diagnosed before 12 months of age. Data extraction included study design, assessment tools, gestational age, and outcomes.
• 44 studies were selected from 3835 initial citations after rigorous screening and review.

Main Results:

• Combining neuroimaging, motor performance, and neurological assessments significantly enhances early CP diagnostic accuracy in preterm infants before 12 months of age.
• The General Movements Assessment and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) demonstrated particular effectiveness in early CP diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Early identification of CP in preterm infants through effective screening methods enables timely intervention.
• Timely intervention can potentially improve developmental outcomes and mitigate long-term disability in this vulnerable population.
• Further validation of emerging screening technologies is warranted.