Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer Blog

A new study shows that mother height and the weight of the child at the time of birth are correlated with birth injury. A recent study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found a correlation between birth injuries and shorter mothers and fetal macrosomia.

The study looked at more than 14,000 births. Of these births, about 280 of them resulted in injuries of the babies. The babies who were born with injuries tended to be to women who were shorter in stature and had lower birthweights than normal. The main birth injuries that occurred during this time included brachial plexus injuries, shoulder dystocia and anal sphincter rupture in the mothers.

The study was conducted in a university hospital setting over a five-and-a-half-year period.

A new study of young cerebral palsy patients at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, found that a stimulation of the deep parts of the brain relieves dystonia symptoms. The hospital conducted deep brain stimulation in six patients who were eight to 26 years old and who each had a birth brain injury. After the study, doctors said the patients experienced improved dystonia scores, after deep brain stimulation. The children experienced the greatest improvement of cerebral palsy symptoms in their arms, according to one doctor involved with the study.

The study found that deep brain stimulation assisted with the youngest of patients more so than the older patients, probably due to the fact that older cerebral palsy patients experience more fixed impairments.

One thing to note about this study is that it was a small study of only six patients at one medical facility. However, the results do provide hope for many young cerebral palsy patients with low dystonia scores. Many physicians agree that more research is needed in this area before sweeping generalizations can be made about deep brain stimulation.