[A study on the clinical features of cerebral palsy in twins]

We have studied the clinical features and neurological sequelae in 39 cases of cerebral palsy resulting from 30 twin births. Twenty-four births (80%) occurred before 37 weeks of gestation Among 30 twin pairs, co-twin with intrauterine death in 7 pairs, both patients showed neurological sequelae in 9 pairs and one of the twins developed cerebral palsy in 14 pairs. In 34 of the 39 cases, abnormal findings were revealed by MRI and/or CT. Periventricular leukomalacia was observed in 19 cases (55.9%), comprising 79.2% of the 24 preterm babies. The clinical features and MRI findings were variable among the term cases. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy is different between preterm and term cases.