Major structural congenital anomalies and causal pathways in people with cerebral palsy.
Susan M Reid, Gina L Hinwood, Angela T Guzys and 2 others
PMID 39233603WHAT IT FOUND
Major congenital anomalies are present in nearly a quarter of people with cerebral palsy, and most of these anomalies are directly involved in causing the condition.
This suggests clinicians should actively look for structural anomalies when assessing aetiology.
Key findings
01Of the 2238 eligible persons with CP, 523 (23.4%) were recorded as having at least one major congenital anomaly.
0216.8% of the CP cohort had a potentially pathogenic anomaly, meaning the anomaly was deemed to have contributed to the development of CP.
03The majority (82%) of pathogenic anomalies involved developmental causal pathways and cerebral anomalies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
There were varying amounts of missing data, which may have affected the precision of the calculated odds ratios. There was potential for under-reporting of major anomalies that did not require diagnosis or intervention from tertiary health institutions. The study relied on medical records and imaging, which may miss subtle abnormalities or functional deficits that do not have a structural correlate.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, the Financial Markets Foundation for Children, and the Department of Health, State Government of Victoria.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that every congenital anomaly found in a patient with cerebral palsy caused the condition. While 23.4% of the cohort had an anomaly, only 16.8% of the total cohort had an anomaly that was deemed potentially pathogenic, meaning many anomalies were incidental or non-contributory.