Assessment of Head and Neck Development in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Using Anthropometric Measurements

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Objective: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neuro-developmental disorder resulting from non-progressive injury of immature brain tissue. Permanent and also changeable movement disorders and impairment of posture are also seen in CP. Our objective was to study the effects of hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) on the development of head and neck. Material and Methods: We measured the anthropometric parameters of head and neck in the children with HCP and in the normal children. The results were compared. Results: We found that head circumference was 49.1±2.4 cm, neck circumference was 26.8±2.3 cm, head width was 13.8±0.8 cm, head length was 15.8±1 cm, face height was 11±1 cm, face width was 7.8±1 cm, distance between the pupils was 5.4±0.6 cm and neck width was 7.9±0.8 cm in the children with HCP. The results in normal children were for head circumference 51.1±1.6 cm, for neck circumference 27.2±2 cm, for head width 14.6±0.6 cm, for head length 16.1±0.7 cm, for face height 11.2±0.6 cm, for face width 8.9±0.6 cm, for distance between the pupils 5.5±0.4 cm, for neck width 8.6±0.7 cm. Head circumference, head width, face width, neck width values were significantly higher in normal children than those in the children with HCP. Conclusion: We think that impairment of the brain development due to neurodegeneration accounts for the low values seen in the anthropometric measurements of the head in the children with HCP and decreased neck width values may be associated with poor nutrition in the same group.

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Hemiplegic cerebral palsy , anthropometry , measurement, head development , neck development

Kocatepe Medical Journal

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Kocatepe Medical Journal