Cerebral palsy after perinatal arterial ischemic stroke

The frequency of cerebral palsy, degree of disability, and predictors of disability were assessed in children in a perinatal arterial stroke database. Risk factors were assessed at the univariate level using the Pearson chi(2) and Fisher exact test and at the multivariate level using logistic regression analysis. Seventy-six of 111 children with perinatal stroke (68%) had cerebral palsy, most commonly hemiplegic (66/76; 87%). Multivariate analysis of the entire cohort showed both delayed presentation (OR,9.96; 95% CI, 3.10-32.02) and male sex (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.03-6.32) were associated with cerebral palsy. In subgroup multivariate analyses: in children with neonatal presentation, bilateral infarcts were associated with triplegia or quadriplegia (OR, 5.33; 95% CI, 1.28-22.27); in children with unilateral middle cerebral artery infarcts, delayed presentation (OR, 10.60; 95% CI, 2.28-72.92) and large-branch infarction (OR, 8.78; 95% CI, 2.18-43.67) were associated with cerebral palsy. These data will aid physicians in planning long-term rehabilitative care for children with perinatal stroke.