A chromosomal study on the 56 cases of cerebral palsy.

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is defined as any nonprogressive central motor deficit by the disease of brain, mainly motor center. The causal brain disease occurs at prenatal, peri.natal, or postnatal period. In order to know the proportion of the chromosome abnormalities among the prenatal causes of the cerebral palsy, we made a chromosome survey on the patients who suffered from the cerebral palsy. This is a product of the direct combination-work undertaken among cytogeneticists, psychiatrists, and pediatrician. During a period from April 1982 to the end of May 1985, 56 cases with cerebral palsy, who were admitted in Hiroshima Prefectural Handicapped Children's Hospital, Wakaba Ryoikuen and in Kamo National Sanatorium, were collected for the chromosome research. The chromosome slides were prepared following the standard blood culture procedures. The karyotype analyses were made with the application of the conventional Giemsa staining, and G-and C-banding differential staining. Results and remarks. Table I showed the results of the clinical examinations and chromosomal findings. All patients had mental retardation; idiot, dyskinesia, difficulty or inability in walking, muscular atrophy, palsy or hemiplegia of extremities, and speech disorders. Then the above mentioned symptoms were excluded from Table I. Fifty two cases among fifty six patients were found to have normal karyotypes, but the remaining four cases had abnormal karyotypes, being 7.1% in incidence. They were represented by two cases of an inversion of no. 9 (inv(9) (p11gl3) and inv (9) (p13g21)), one case of triplo-X (XXX), and one case of Turner's syndrome (X/XX/Xr (X)). The details of these cases were mentioned in the former papers (Kadotani et al. 1985 a, b; Kanata et al. 1985). The causes of cerebral palsy fall into three main groups; prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors, as related to the period. Until now, the proportion of the prenatal causes has been small, and pen-and postnatal causes; asphyxia, forceps operation, pracenta praevia, inertia uteri, prolonged labor, severe jaundice, meningitis, encephalitis, and so on, have occupied the large proportion; 80-90%. But from now, according to the advance of medicine, pen-and postnatal causes will decrease. The prenatal causes include chromosome abnormalities, hereditary diseases, intrauterine infection, and so on. The proportion of the chromosome abncrmalities among the causes of cerebral palsy has remained uncertain. More data will be needed.