Examination of Thoracic Deformities in Different Clinical Types of Patients with Cerebral Palsy

OpenAlex İngilizce

Purpose: Cerebral Palsy is a clinical condition that causes permanent but non-progressive damage to the developing brain and can affect multiple systems. We aimed to determine functionality levels by evaluating thoracic deformities according to gender in different clinical types of CP and to reveal the differences between CP and healthy individuals with anthropometric measurements. Methods: Between the ages of 6 and 12 years, a total of 154 patients diagnosed with cerebral palsy (91 males, 63 females) and 40 healthy individuals (20 males, 20 females) were included in the study. Demographic information, CP clinical type, secondary findings, thoracic deformity, anthropometric measurements and functionality levels were obtained from the patients. A tape measure and caliper were used for anthropometric measurements. Results: It was observed that spastic type was the most clinical distribution of CP. The disease is accompanied by secondary problems, mostly intellectual disability. In thoracic deformities, pectus excavatum (9.52% female and 16.48% male) deformity was the most common in the anterior chest wall, while scoliosis (26.98% female and 21.98% male) was seen in spinal deformities. While patients are mostly in GMFCS level II, they are mostly in Group 1 according to ambulation level. Thoracic deformities are more common in Group 2 patients. The anthropometric measurements of the patients were lower than the healthy individuals. A significant difference was found between Group 1, Group 2 and healthy groups in terms of anthropometric measurements (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was observed that cerebral palsy has a substantial impact on anthropometric measurements, musculoskeletal integrity, and levels of functional performance in patients. For this reason, experts must monitor the affected thoracic area at regular intervals. Adding the thoracic region to the evaluations and treatments and regular follow-up will positively affect the course of the disease.