D.11 Trends in cerebral palsy in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the last four decades

Abstract

Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological condition arising from a perinatal or intra-uterine stroke. In the past 25 years there has been a revolution in neonatal care. For over 40 years children with CP in and around Saskatoon have been treated through the Kinsman Childrens’ Centre (KCC). This is a unique population database covering all CP patients in the region. We analyzed the KCC database to determine if the recent changes in neonatal care were correlated with the incidence of CP co-morbidities. Methods: A retrospective study using a Saskatchewan database of cerebral palsy data from the last four decades. Results: Over the last 40 years the incidence of visual disturbance and diagnoses of epilepsy in children with CP have remained stable regardless of advances in neonatal care. However, incidences of spine and hip issues requiring orthopedic intervention have halved. Conclusions: We hypothesize that advances in neonatal care have been successful in decreasing the incidence of gross motor impairments however have yet to significantly impact impairments relating to cortical network function. Although improvements in care have resulted in a decreased burden of disability, there remains opportunity for further improvements, especially in the settings of epilepsy and long-term visual function.