Clinical Phenotypes and Etiological Risk Factors in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Retrospective Study

Background: Cerebral palsy is a motor impairment syndrome that arises from a lesion in the developing brain. The condition varies based on the timing of the lesion, as well as differences in clinical presentation, location, and severity. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the clinical features of patients with cerebral palsy, identify the associated risk factors, and analyze cranial MRI findings in relation to the different types of cerebral palsy. Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated the medical records of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Data collected included demographic information, details of potential relevant abnormalities during pregnancy, birth, and the neonatal period, comorbidities, types of cerebral palsy, cranial MRI findings, and classifications of motor impairments. Results: The mean age of the 202 patients with cerebral palsy in the study was 8.02 years, with a male predominance (60.4%). The most common type of cerebral palsy observed was spastic cerebral palsy, accounting for 81.6% of the cases. The most frequent cranial MRI finding was white matter damage of immaturity, present in 36.1% of the patients, while 8.4% of the cases had normal cranial MRI results. Epilepsy was the most common comorbidity, affecting 50.5% of the patients. White matter damage of immaturity was most commonly associated with spastic diparesis, and the identified risk factors for these patients included prematurity, low birth weight, oligohydramnios, multiple pregnancy, and neonatal sepsis/meningitis. Spastic tetraparesis was most frequently linked to miscellaneous MRI findings, with risk factors such as term birth, normal birth weight, polyhydramnios, asphyxia/resuscitation, and a history of neonatal convulsions. Focal infarction/hemorrhage was most often associated with spastic hemiparesis, while basal ganglia-thalamus damage was frequently seen in patients with choreoathetotic and dystonic cerebral palsy. In patients with dystonic cerebral palsy, vaginal delivery and a history of hyperbilirubinemia were identified as common risk factors. Cerebellar damage and malformations were most frequently associated with ataxic cerebral palsy. Conclusions: In this study, it was determined that MRI findings can serve as a valuable guide for identifying different types of cerebral palsy. Additionally, the risk factors, disease severity, and accompanying comorbidities were found to vary according to the specific type of cerebral palsy.