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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pediatr Neurol. 2016 Mar 17;59:23–29. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2016.03.002

TABLE 3.

Criteria Used to Determine the Etiology of Cerebral Palsy

Etiology Criteria/Definition
Congenital brain malformation Brain imaging (CT or MRI) consistent with congenital brain malformation.
Prenatal infection (1) Characteristic neuroimaging (e.g., calcifications in the basal ganglia) and (2) elevated TORCH titers or positive PCR for cytomegalovirus.
Prematurity Gestational age less than or equal to 34 wk and characteristic neuroimaging.
Focal ischemic stroke Brain imaging (CT or MRI) consistent with focal ischemic stroke.
Intrapartum hypoxic event 5-min Apgar score less than or equal to five and clinical history of birth asphyxia in the patient’s medical record or reported by the patient’s caregiver and clinical history of birth complications either recorded in the patient’s chart or described by the caregiver and imaging consistent with global hypoxic event.
Postnatal infection Clinical history of meningitis or encephalitis and one or more of the following: (1) documentation of positive bacterial culture from cerebrospinal fluid, (2) documentation of herpes simplex virus from serum or cerebrospinal fluid, or (3) CSF pleocytosis with >10 WBCs/HPF.
Kernicterus Total serum bilirubin documented during neonatal period >20 mg/dL (342 μmol/L) and either (1) movement disorder involving choreoathetosis or dystonia or (2) imaging consistent with bilirubin deposition in the globus pallidus or subthalamic nuclei.
Head trauma Clinical history of head trauma described by the caregiver or recorded in the medical record and brain imaging consistent with traumatic brain injury.
Other Other specified etiology determined by the investigator and not meeting any of the criteria specified above.
Unknown Cerebral palsy not fitting criteria for any of the above definitions and not better explained by an alternative etiology.

Abbreviations:

CSF = cerebrospinal fluid

CT = computed tomography

MRI = magnetic resonance imaging

PCR = polymerase chain reaction

TORCH = toxoplasmosis other rubella cytomegalovirus herpes

WBCs/HPF = white blood cells per high-powered field