Oct 13 2008
What is the Definition of Spastic Diplegia?
Spastic diplegia is a form of cerebral palsy, where both his arms and legs have abnormal stiffness. The legs are usually more affected than the upper extremities. Spastic means stiff or contracted. The word diplegia is broken down into a “di”, ie, two, and “plegia,” the Latin word for weakness. Therefore, spastic diplegia means stiff or contracted muscles affecting two limbs, causing weakness. Spastic diplegia is sometimes also called paraplegia.
There are other forms of spastic diplegia, in addition to cerebral palsy. Some forms of hereditary spastic diplegia are. You can differentiate the two by several factors:
* The age of the patient begins to show symptoms of spastic diplegia
* The victim in the past medical history
* Recorded problems at birth or during pregnancy
* The presence of genetic factors
People who suffer from hereditary spastic diplegia typically have a family history of disease and do not show symptoms until late childhood or middle age. People suffering from cerebral palsy spastic diplegia form of often diagnosed with the condition of children. Cerebral palsy spastic diplegia is the result of brain damage and mainly affects the legs. The damage consists of malformations of the brain around the ventricles, which are the spaces filled with fluid. Normally, a lack of oxygen in the brain causes the formation of a failure of development in the pyramidal tracts. RM easily detect these errors of the areas that are called periventricular leukomalacias.
Disease and little spastic diplegia
Spastic diplegia was originally called “Little of the disease.” The disease was named for William Little, a British surgeon who first described the disorder in the 19th century. The children who observe with the disease had stiffness in the legs and arms that do not progress in severity, since years of age. Littles disease was soon recognized as a disorder, or group of disorders, rather than a disease, and the name changed to static encephalopathy, or spastic diplegia.
What are the symptoms of spastic diplegia?
Whatever you call the disorder, spastic diplegia, paraplegia, Littles disease or static encephalopathy, the symptoms are the same. Both legs spastic diplegia of the victims are spastic, in the sense of rigidity or hired. The legs are weak and it is hard to walk. People with spastic diplegia often walk with a “scissor gait” caused by tight muscles in the hips and legs. The muscles become so tight legs want to turn inward and sometimes cross each other in the knees. A spastic diplegia victim of the arm, face and neck muscles are affected to a lesser degree than the legs. Beyond the physical characteristics of spastic diplegia, the disorder is often accompanied by mental retardation.
What can be done to help people with cerebral palsy spastic diplegia?
Statistics show spasticity affects 80% of people with cerebral palsy and cause many problems for those suffering from the disease. In growing children, muscle rigidity inhibits the growth of the longitudinal muscle. This is especially bad because it causes muscle contractions and orthopedic deformities, the muscle that snaps into place permanently.
Spastic cerebral palsy symptoms are usually treated with a combination of drugs, physical therapy, braces, and if necessary, orthopedic surgery. However, a relatively new surgery called conducted selected dorsal rhizotomy (SDR.) The surgery works best in young children, 2 to 4 years old, but it can be beneficial for older children and some adults. SDR usually brings better results for people who suffer from spastic diplegia only and not spastic quadriplegia, which is important spasticity in the arms and legs.
DEG works to prevent the development of deformities by reducing the nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The elimination of the vertebrae to reach the spinal cord can cause problems in the spine. Experts agree, however, that the success of SDR surgery can improve the voice, vision and function of the leg. The surgery also helps reduce the number of orthopedic surgeries spastic diplegia a victim may require in the future.
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