Perinatal CNS involvement

Perinatal involvements of the central nervous system are those pathological conditions that arise under the influence of many negative factors affecting the growth and fetus development in the perinatal period.

The perinatal period includes late fetal (from 22 weeks of prenatal development to the beginning of the delivery act), intranatal (the childbirth) and early neonatal (the first week of the child’s life) periods.

By origin, all perinatal involvements of the central nervous system can be classified into:

1. Birth trauma of the nervous system (damage of the soft tissues of the head, cranial bones, brain, spine, spinal cord or peripheral nervous system);
2. Hypoxic-ischemic involvements of the central nervous system (due to reduced oxygen penetration into the blood, and hence – into the neuron);
3. Disorders of the nervous system affected by infectious diseases, which are specific for the perinatal period (congenital viral, bacterial lesions of the nervous system, bacterial sepsis);
4. Haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. Other metabolic encephalopathies (metabolic disorders, thermoregulation, endocrinological disorders);

Congenital malformations of the nervous system, chromosomal abnormalities.

There distinguish the following disease periods:

1. The acute period (up to one month). A particular feature of the acute period is the prevalence of cerebral disorders in the form of anxiety, increased excitability, muscle tonus changes, uncontrollable hands, legs or chin twitching, unwillingness to nurse. In severe cases cramps and impairment of consciousness are possible. Treatment of perinatal CNS involvements during the acute period is strictly inpatient.
2. The rehabilitation period is up to one year. The main clinical syndromes of this period are the following:
   • syndrome of heightened nervous-reflectory irritability (hyperexcitability and motor activity of the child, anxiety, ungrounded crying);
   • cerebrasthenic syndrome (disorders of adaptive abilities of the child to the stress);
   • autonomic dysfunctions syndromes (vascular, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as thermoregulation disorders);
   • delay of statokinetic and psycho-prespeech development (delays of the mental, physical and speech development);
   • motor disorders syndrome (manifest itself by the predominance of muscle hypertension of the flexors and extensors of limbs, brisk tendon reflexes, hands, legs and chin tremor (trembling) when crying, floppy baby syndrome with the development of atonia, decreased tone, repression of reflexes and motor spontaneous activity; can be combined with the difficulties of verbal and mental development, lack of facial expressions and articulation, late smile appearance, a delay of visual – oral reactions, and a faint monotonous cry);
   • hydrocephalic syndrome (increase of the baby’s head volume, bulging fontanelle, frequent vomiting);
   • epileptic syndrome (repeated epileptic seizures);
   • bulbar and pseudobulbar syndromes (disorders of chewing, swallowing, speech, mimics).

Rehabilitation of these conditions should be carried out as early as possible. It is important, that the ability of the child’s brain to restore the impaired functions, as well as the capabilities of the whole organism, is very great during this period of life.

3. A late effect period, which can be evident by mild disorders including:
   • minimal cerebral dysfunction (characterized by difficulties in information acquiring, absent-minded behaviour, poor brain building and motor skills disorders: bad orientation, hypomimia, dysarthria, clumsiness);
   • cerebrasthenic syndrome (disorders of adaptive abilities of the child to the stress);
   • syndrome of autonomic dysfunctions (vascular, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as loop of thermal control);
   • delay of mental, physical and speech development;
   • organic psychosyndrome (a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders (speech disorders; poor word stock; mental retardation, developing due to the impact on the brain of various pathological factors at different stages of ontogenetic development);
   • epileptic syndrome (repeated epileptic seizures);
   • compensated normotensive hydrocephalus (a condition characterized by an increase of cerebrospinal fluid spaces without clinical appearances of hypertension: no vomiting, headache, or hyperexcitability);
   • cerebral palsy (a diagnosis that unites a group of syndromes, which are caused by brain underdevelopment or damage (often in combination with spinal cord damage in the cervical spine) in the prenatal, intranatal, and early postnatal periods);
   • oligophrenia (mental retardation);
   • epilepsy (a disease that is accompanied by epileptic seizers of a different nature);
   • progressive hydrocephalus (a condition that is accompanied by a progressive increase of cerebrospinal fluid spaces).

A treatment of perinatal injuries consists in an obligate complex impact on the child’s body. The complex of methods includes medical therapy, massage, physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy procedures, acupuncture, as well as elements of pedagogical, orthopaedic and speech therapy.

A feature of the consultation of a child neurologist is the usage of metameric diagnostics – in order to determine the presence of neurological disorders from the first days of life.

Specialists of our clinic developed a unique complex of therapeutic methods in a certain sequence and combination that provides a positive treatment result of any consequences of the central nervous system perinatal lesions.

To make an appointment for a consultation or a treatment session, please, call (044) 272-11-82 (children’s department) or (044) 238-22-31 (call centre). The booking is carried out by previous appointment.

Please mind that early diagnostics and proper treatment is the key to successful recovery of the child’s damaged nervous system.