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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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 major new study published recently in the United Kingdom says that women who go into labor early should not be given antibiotics unless there is a clear indication of infection. The use of antibiotics in premature birth is linked to the development of cerebral palsy, according to the study.

The ORACLE children's study originally began its research into the use of antibiotics during premature labor in 1994. The results for the study were originally published in 2001. A follow-up to the original study was recently published.

The new study found that "functioning" problems were more frequent in women whose water did not break early, but were given antibiotics. It also found that the children of women in this group were more likely to receive a birth injury and cerebral palsy diagnosis. Of the children in this group, 4.4% began experiencing cerebral palsy symptoms shortly after birth. Of the children of mothers who did not take any antibiotics, 1.6% had cerebral palsy.

Doctors are still unsure as to the reason why the children of mothers who had taken antibiotics had developed cerebral palsy.

A young boy from Wardsville, Missouri, recently returned from his long journey to China, where a stem cell transplant was performed to treat his cerebral palsy.

The 21-month-old boy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after suffering a birth brain injury. His parents learned that the child had spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects muscle tone. To curb the cerebral palsy symptoms, the boy's parents worked with doctors to determine the best type of cerebral palsy treatment before deciding upon the stem cell transplant in China. His father traveled with him in October to Chengyang People's Hospital in Qingdao, a city in northeastern China.

The operation used cord blood to transfer stem cells into the young boy. After returning, the parents are happy to report that the boy's head control is much better and he has improved movement in his hands. However, the doctors at the hospital in China said that the results of the procedure would most likely show after three to six months.

To learn more about stem cell transplants or other forms of cerebral palsy treatment, contact a physician today.

Nurses at the Children's Hospital of New Jersey in Newark recently treated an infant who was suffering from birth asphyxia by cooling her through hypothermia.

The baby, who was born on November 4, 2008, began suffering from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) which occurs when there is an insufficient supply of oxygen. This can result in damage to the brain and spinal cord.

The infant, who was experiencing birth asphyxia injury symptoms shortly after birth, was placed on a cooling mattress for 72 hours. Nurses regulated her temperature through a probe that was inserted into her esophagus. The probe was attached to a cooling machine, which allowed nurses to cool the baby's body to a lower than normal temperature.

The baby was the first birth asphyxia patient to receive hypothermic treatment. This treatment was used to help prevent future birth asphyxia injuries or disorders, such as cerebral palsy.

Following the warming procedure, the infant was found to have no abnormalities in her brain waves.

A rare form of spinal surgery may help children suffering from cerebral palsy. A dorsal rhizotomy is used to reduce spasticity, or the tightness in muscles, in the legs. Since cerebral palsy patients often experience spasticity, this procedure may help them increase their ability to walk.

A young girl from Peoria, IL, was recently given the opportunity to undergo this procedure. Her parents had noticed cerebral palsy symptoms shortly after birth. After receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis, they were eager to learn of different forms of treatment.

During the procedure, specific nerve fibers that run through the spinal cord are cut. This is meant to help decrease the affects of muscle stiffness. The operation stops these specific nerves from being hyperactive. Surgeons will sort through the nerves to determine which are affecting the muscles. Once they have identified the nerve rootlets, they are able to cut those specific fibers.

A new study from the BMC Pediatrics journal examined 35 children who underwent this procedure and found that muscle tone in these patients had decreased and remained that way for years.

A recent stem-cell procedure performed in Denver, CO has helped to curb the cerebral palsy symptoms in a young girl.

Chloe Levigne is a two-year-old girl who had received a cerebral palsy diagnosis shortly after birth. After noticing that their daughter would clench her fist and drag herself instead of crawl, Chloe's parents consulted with a doctor. Chloe was then diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

After learning of the cerebral palsy diagnosis, doctors suggested performing a procedure with umbilical blood stem-cells that the Levignes had paid to save at the birth. The cerebral palsy treatment was then performed at Duke University with successful results. Only two days later, Chloe began speaking words that her mother had taught her in previous weeks. Chloe now is able to walk, talk and play. Her mother claims that she is about as normal as possible for a two-year-old girl.

Stem cell research is still a highly experimental procedure, but this particular case shows that experimental cerebral palsy treatments may help. If you are a parent with a cerebral palsy child, consult with an experienced cerebral palsy doctor to discuss your options.