Genetic or Other Causation Should Not Change the Clinical Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

High throughput sequencing is discovering many likely causative genetic variants in individuals with cerebral palsy. Some investigators have suggested that this changes the clinical diagnosis of cerebral palsy and that these individuals should be removed from this diagnostic category. Cerebral palsy is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed on clinical signs, not etiology. All nonprogressive permanent disorders of movement and posture attributed to disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal and infant brain can be described as “cerebral palsy.” This definition of cerebral palsy should not be changed, whatever the cause. Reasons include stability, utility and accuracy of cerebral pal..