Infantile hemiplegia: clinical,electroencephalographic and computerised tomography study

Thirty-one patients with post-neonatally acquired infantile hemiplegia were assessed clinically, electroencephalographically and by CT scan. The mean age of onset of illness and when first seen in the neurology clinic were 20·2±20·1 months and 16·8±8·4 yr, respectively. Epilepsy was seen in 74 per cent of cases and mental retardation in 70 percent. Among patients with epilepsy, the EEG and CT scan were abnormal in 83 per cent and 87 per cent respectively. There was a positive correlation between an abnormal EEG and CT scan in 84 per cent of cases. The cause of hemiplegia could be clinically determined in only eight cases (26%). However, the CT scan showed abnormalities like cortical atrophy and porencephalic cyst, suggestive of a vascular or inflammatory aetiology in 68 per cent. The usefulness of CT in determining the aetiology in acquired infantile hemiplegia, especially when seen many years after the onset of illness is, emphasized.