Worsening of cerebral palsy following neonatal encephalopathy: A meta-analysis

Cerebral palsy (CP), the most common motor disorder in early childhood, arises from neonatal brain injury. The potential role of neonatal encephalopathy (NE) as a risk factor for cerebral palsy has been postulated, yet a systematic examination of its clinical impact on cerebral palsy patients remains absent. This meta-analysis aims to delineate the incidence of commonly reported complications associated with cerebral palsy following NE compared to those without a history of NE. A systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar yielded 424 studies, with 7 meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies reported at least one comparison of cerebral palsy symptoms between patients with or without NE and provided the corresponding case numbers for each group. Utilizing RevMan 5.4, we analyzed the data and assessed potential publication bias. Among the 7 studies included, we compared the characteristics of 117 patients with cerebral palsy with preceding NE to 287 without such antecedents. Significantly, the incidence of the spastic quadriplegic subtype of cerebral palsy was higher in patients with NE (odds ratio [OR]: 4.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.69 – 7.00, P < 0.00001). CP patients following NE exhibited a significantly increased incidence of severe communication difficulties (OR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.32 – 4.10, P = 0.003), difficulty swallowing (OR: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.31 – 4.77, P = 0.005), and cognitive impairment (OR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.45 – 5.13, P = 0.002). Children with cerebral palsy born following NE were more predisposed to the most severe spastic quadriplegic subtype and encountered significant comorbidities. It is essential to acknowledge the limitations of this study, primarily the small number of studies that separately reported cerebral palsy cases with or without NE. Nevertheless, these findings contribute valuable insights for a more accurate clinical prognosis and the prospective development of targeted treatments for specific complications associated with cerebral palsy in patients with NE.