Antenatal Antecedents and the Impact of Obstetric Care in the Etiology of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) affects 2/1000 live-born children. Multiple antenatal factors, including preterm delivery, low birth weight, infection/inflammation, multiple gestation, and other pregnancy complications, are mostly associated with CP in both the preterm and term infant, with birth asphyxia playing a minor role. Owing to the increasing survival of the very preterm and very low birth weight infant secondary to improvements in neonatal and obstetric care, the incidence of CP may be increasing. The focus of this paper is to explore antenatal antecedents as etiologies of CP and the impact of obstetric care on the prevention of CP.