Cerebral Palsy Definitions

Cerebral Palsy Definitions and Terms

Apgar score - A numbered score doctors use to assess a baby's physical state at the time of birth.

apraxia - Impaired ability to carry out purposeful movements in an individual who does not have significant motor problems.

asphyxia - Lack of oxygen due to trouble with breathing or poor oxygen supply in the air.

bile pigments - Yellow-colored substances produced by the human body as a by-product of digestion.
cerebral. Relating to the two hemispheres of the human brain.

computed tomography (CT) - An imaging technique that uses X rays and a computer to create a picture of the brain's tissues and structures. |

congenital - Present at birth.

contracture - A condition in which muscles become fixed in a rigid, abnormal position causing distortion or deformity.

dysarthria - Problems with speaking caused by difficulty moving or coordinating the muscles needed for speech.

electroencephalogram (EEG) - A technique for recording the pattern of electrical currents inside the brain.

electromyography - A special recording technique that detects muscle activity.

failure to thrive - A condition characterized by lag in physical growth and development.

gait analysis - A technique that uses camera recording, force plates, electromyography, and computer analysis to objectively measure an individual's pattern of walking.

gastrostomy - A surgical procedure to create an artificial opening in the stomach.

hemianopia - Defective vision or blindness that impairs half of the normal field of vision.

hemiparetic tremors - Uncontrollable shaking affecting the limbs on the spastic side of the body in those who have spastic hemiplegia.

hypertonia - Increased tone.

hypotonia - Decreased tone.

hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy - Brain damage caused by poor blood flow or insufficient oxygen supply to the brain.

jaundice - A blood disorder caused by the abnormal buildup of bile pigments in the bloodstream.

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - an imaging technique which uses radio waves, magnetic fields, and computer analysis to create a picture of body tissues andstructures.

neonatal hemorrhage - Bleeding of brain blood vessels in the newborn.

orthotic devices - Special devices, such as splints or braces, used to treat problems of the muscles, ligaments, or bones of the skeletal system.

paresis or plegia - Weakness or paralysis. In cerebral palsy, these terms are typically combined with another phrase that describes the distribution of paralysis andweakness, e.g., paraparesis.

palsy - Paralysis, or problems in the control of voluntary movement.

reflexes - Movements that the body makes automatically in response to a specific cue.

Rh incompatibility - A blood condition in which antibodies in a pregnant woman's blood can attack fetal blood cells, impairing the fetus's supply of oxygen and nutrients. |rubella. Also known as German measles, rubella is a viral infection that can damage the nervous system in the developing fetus.

selective dorsal root rhizotomy - A surgical procedure in which selected nerves are severed to reduce spasticity in the legs.

spastic diplegia - A form of cerebral palsy in which both arms and both legs are affected, the legs being more severely affected.

spastic hemiplegia (or hemiparesis) - A form of cerebral palsy in which spasticity affects the arm and leg on one side of the body.

spastic paraplegia (or paraparesis) - A form of cerebral palsy in which spasticity affects both legs but the arms are relatively or completely spared.

spastic quadriplegia (or quadriparesis) - A form of cerebral palsy in which all four limbs are affected equally.

stereognosia - Difficulty perceiving and identifying objects using the sense of touch.

strabismus - Misalignment of the eyes.

ultrasonography - A technique that bounces sound waves off of tissues and structures and uses the pattern of echoes to form an image, called a sonogram.