Morphology of cerebral lesions by computed tomography in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: correlation with the development of memory and intelligence

The study was initiated to evaluate CT findings and their relation with the development of intelligence and memory in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. The study included 25 children: 15 boys and 10 girls. Their ages ranged between 2.7 and 9.6 years. Fifteen cases had right hemiplegia and 10 cases had left sided affection. Congenital hemiplegia was seen in 20 cases and acquired causes occurred in 5 patients. CT scan was normal in 8 children [32%]. CT abnormalities included: maldevelopmental lesions [2 cases: Sturge Weber syndrome, closed lip schizencephaly], non-mal developmental lesions [central hemiatrophy in 4 cases, peripheral hemiatrophy in 7 cases, and 4 combined in 4 cases, calcification in 3 cases]. Fifteen cases had average general intelligence quotient. CT findings were not significantly related to the presence of degree of motor handicapping but was significantly related to the presence of associated deficits. The mean general IQ was not significantly related to the findings on CT findings. However, abnormal CT findings were significantly associated with lower scores on abstract visual and verbal reasoning IQ subsets. In conclusion, though abnormal CT findings were significantly present in hemiplegic CP, their predictive clinical role is only partially relevant in view of the presence of re-organization of motor pathways following this early CNS damage