Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer Blog

Cerebral Palsy rates have been increasing in premature infants born in Pennsylvania and nationwide. A new study has discovered a link between premature births, an inflamed umbilical cord and cerebral palsy.

Doctors have studied over 200 placentas from preterm births and have found that cerebral palsy is associated with inflammation in the connective tissue of the umbilical cord. The inflammation usually leads to an infection and is most common in preterm births or a premature rupturing of the amniotic sac. Infants born premature due to preeclampsia are less likely to have the inflammation.

Doctors and researchers hope to use this information to reduce the risk of birth injuries by treating the inflamed tissue in the umbilical cord.

Related Sources:
Research Sheds Light on Increasing Cerebral Palsy Rates Among Preemies

A three year old cerebral palsy child who is participating in a cord blood treatment study at Duke University has rapidly shown improvement in motor functions and speech.

The child is participating in a study in which the child is infused with cord blood cells banked by their parents at birth. The injection took about 15 minutes and her parents are already calling the treatment a miracle. Before the treatment her right hand was always clenched and virtually no use to her and now her right hand has opened up and she is beginning to use both hands. Her speech has also greatly improved and she is now able to walk flatfooted with the support of a leg brace. Her parents believe she is about 85 percent cured of cerebral palsy.

While researchers will not be able to scientifically prove that the treatment will correct problems associated with cerebral palsy until the study is complete, anecdotal evidence is giving parents with cerebral palsy hope that someday their child will be able to lead a more normal life.

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Child's own stem cells help her cerebral palsy

The American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society have released reports on the beneficial uses of Botox injections and the drug diazepam to help reduce the effects of muscle spasticity in children suffering from the cerebral palsy.

The study states that botulinum toxin injections, Botox, are an effective way to reduce spasticity and muscle tightness that reduces movement in children and young adults. According to the study Botox imposes only a slight risk of generalized weakness after an injection. The Drugs, diazepam and tizanidine were also named in the study but for short term use and with a higher risk of side effects.

Several other treatments and medications were examined in the study but they could not gather enough research to make recommendations. Researchers attest there is an urgent need for more research to establish definitive recommendations for current and future medications and treatment for those suffering from birth injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Related Sources:
New Guidelines Suggest Botox for Cerebral Palsy

There may be hope for Philadelphia parents and their children born with cerebral palsy. A study is currently being conducted to test the effect cord blood has on cerebral palsy.

Doctors have injected 150 children suffering from cerebral palsy with their own umbilical cord blood cells in hope that the cells can repair some of the damage done by the birth defect. Doctors have already had success with cord blood when used to treat other neurological diseases but its use with cerebral palsy patients is still in its infancy.

One year after the infusion the children will be studied to see if there are any improvements in their neurological state or muscle movement. Doctors are optimistic that the treatment should benefit the children because of their work with cord blood in animals and with other diseases.

Related Sources:
Doctors Use Baby's Cord Blood to Treat Diseases

Prenatal health and care is important to every Philadelphia Pregnant woman and an important link between brain development and folic acid may have been forgotten about. Folic acid also known as vitamin B helps the fetal neural tube properly develop into the child's central nervous system.

According the March of Dimes, 70% of neural tube defects are preventable if folic acid is digested within the first few weeks of pregnancy when the neural tube is developing. Birth defects associated with a neural tube defect include spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida occurs when some vertebrate are not fully formed, leaving the spinal cord open and unfused. If the hole is large enough the spinal cord may stick out from the bones. The deadly anencephaly occurs when the neural tube does not full develop into the cerebrum. The child will be born without an underdeveloped brain and major portions of the head and scalp may be missing.

Folic acid was once well known to be an important vitamin in prenatal care but fewer women know that now when compared with years ago. Some states, like Utah have begun to educate women on the importance of folic acid and distribute the vitamin to pregnant women in an attempt to decrease the amount of babies born with a neural tube defect.

Related Web Source:
Neural Tube Birth Defects on the Rise

Pregnant Philadelphia women have a new tool to assess whether their child may develop neurological or cognitive problems. Neurologists have reported that children born with small heads (microcephaly) may have a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cognitive delays, learning disabilities, mental retardation, and eye and ear disorders.

Each year almost 30,000 children in the United States are born with a head circumference smaller than that of 97 percent of children. The condition is referred to microcephaly in the medical community and can be diagnosed somewhere between birth and the age of two. While not a problem in and of itself, forty percent of children with microcephaly also have epilepsy, twenty percent also have cerebral palsy, 50 percent also have mental retardation and 20 to 50 percent also have eye and ear problems.

Parents of children with microcephaly should have their pediatricians observe and evaluate their children for possible neurological conditions. Diagnostic tests such as MRIs or CT scans may be used to test children for the neurological conditions associated with microcephaly. Microcephaly presents with serious conditions that may require a lifetime of care and treatment. The earlier a child is diagnosed with a neurological condition such as cerebral palsy, the sooner the proper care, treatment and resources can be obtained. Even if a small head circumference runs in your family it is important that your child is evaluated and tested. Fortunately, not all children with microcephaly will develop health issues or have learning disabilities.

Early diagnosing of cerebral palsy is important and beneficial to children and their parents for early intervention. Currently most children with cerebral palsy are not diagnosed until parents recognize that their children have failed to reach normal developmental milestones often somewhere between their first and third birthdays. However recognizing microcephaly in children at birth can better assist parents and doctors in early recognition and intervention. While there is no known cure for cerebral palsy there are many opportunities available to parents to assist and provide for the care and treatment their children's disabilities and treatment options. Whether your child suffers from spastic, athetoid, ataxic or mixed cerebral palsy early recognition with microcephaly at birth may assist in earlier diagnosis, care and treatment. In the future earlier recognition and assessment of neurological conditions in children will lead to earlier treatment interventions.

If you believe that your child suffers from cerebral palsy or other associated neurological conditions that may be the result of a doctor or hospital's negligence please contact our experienced attorneys today to discuss your case.

Related Web Sources:

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a possible link between vaginal deliveries with operations and birth injuries.

In the study an operative vaginal delivery is when a physician uses forceps or a vacuum extraction to pull the baby through a birth canal. The study found that the risk of baby injury is at the highest level when both the forceps and the vacuum extraction methods are used. In addition, the baby in the delivery was found to be most likely hurt during birth, when the operative vaginal delivery is unsuccessful.

The study found that babies born with a cesarean section are no more greatly injured than babies born using forceps or vacuum extraction.

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 young boy with a severe case of cerebral palsy was recently awarded a €5.2 million settlement for an injury he suffered at birth.

The boy, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, received a cerebral palsy diagnosis shortly after birth. He was awarded the settlement after claiming negligence against Dublin's Rotunda Hospital. The hospital denied that the negligence took place. They claimed that it was a liability issue and that nothing negligent occurred during the birth of the boy. The parents claimed that the boy was delivered by Caesarean section in a very poor condition and suffered severe physical and mental injuries. These injuries eventually led to the boy's cerebral palsy diagnosis. Due to this diagnosis, doctors claimed that the boy would never lead an independent life. They also claimed that the delivery should have been performed much earlier, since there were signs of fetal distress.

The judge claimed that it was not "an open- and shut- case" and he had no difficulty offering the boy the settlement for his sufferings. The awarded settlement will be used to pay for the boy's cerebral palsy treatment.

This blog is designed to be a resource for recent news and current information regarding medical conditions that can affect young children. This blog will provide parents with information and resources regarding the following conditions and birth injuries:

• Cerebral Palsy


• Erb's Palsy


• Lack of Oxygen


• Birth Anoxic Injuries


• Birth Hypoxia Injuries

Birth injuries commonly result from medical malpractice during the delivery. Injuries can result in permanent brain damage and other conditions, such as cerebral palsy. An important way to help a child who is diagnosed with a birth injury is to stay informed.