Cerebral Spastic Paraplegia and Prematurity

Cerebral spastic paraplegia (cerebral diplegia) merits special consideration by those concerned with the care of young infants because of its diagnostic and prognostic pitfalls. The striking incidence of antecedent premature birth in this group, together with major delay in motor development and evidence of spasticity of the lower extremities, often erroneously suggest a poor prognosis at an early age. These features, combined with infrequent mental retardation, uninvolved speech, and a low incidence of convulsive seizures in an infant with striking disparity between upper and lower extremity involvement, emphasize the need for identification of this particular group within the general framework of cerebral palsy.