Spinal cord injury secondary to cervical disc herniation in ambulatory patients with cerebral palsy

Early onset of degeneration of the cervical spine and instability due to sustained abnormal tonicity or abnormal movement of the neck are found in patients with cerebral palsy. An unexplained change or deterioration of neurological function in patients with cerebral palsy should merit the consideration of the possibility of cervical myelopathy due to early degeneration or instability of the cervical spine. We describe two patients who had a spinal cord injury due to a cervical disc herniation, one patient was athetoid and the second had spastic diplegia, they both had cerebral palsy. It is not easy to determine whether new neurological symptoms are as a result of the cervical spinal cord disorder. These cases suggest that consideration of a cervical spine disorder with myelopathy is required in the evaluation of patients with cerebral palsy who develop deterioration of neurological function or activities over a short period of time.