Perinatal Stroke & Cesarean Section: Increased Risk for Cerebral Palsy Complications

Children with cerebral palsy suffer from more than a physical impairment. For many, the complications of cerebral palsy result in multiple disabilities, including impaired cognitive function and even the development of epilepsy.

Cerebral palsy is most often attributed to a complication that occurs during labor and delivery, involving a perinatal arterial ischemic stroke. For some newborns, the complications of cerebral palsy are evident right at birth; known as neonatal presentation. For others, however, the complications of cerebral palsy may not be realized for many weeks or months; referred to as a delayed presentation.

The timing of cerebral palsy symptom development may be a leading indicator in what type of complications your infant may experience. For children who are diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy, exhibiting neonatal symptoms, there is an increased likelihood for not only the CP complications but also complications with cognitive function and the development of epilepsy.

Whereas, in children who are diagnosed at a later date with cerebral palsy, with delayed presentation, there may be a reduced risk for not only cognitive impairment but these children may also not suffer from the same degree of epilepsy complications.

In addition to timing of cerebral palsy presentation, an infant's method of birth may also play some role in the development of complications. In fact, it has been found that in children with neonatal presentation of cerebral palsy symptoms, who are born by cesarean section, there is a profound occurrence for all three disabilities to be present and cause great complication in growth and development. In fact, statistics show that children, born by cesarean section, with neonatal presentation of cerebral palsy are 14 times more likely to experience epilepsy than their counterparts who are born by vaginal delivery and show delayed presentation of cerebral palsy.