THE NEONATAL ENCEPHALOPATHY AS PERINATAL ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR OF CEREBRAL PALSY.

It is very hard to define perinatal asphyxia, because of numerous definitions that are in use today. It depends on what you want to emphasize. The term asphyxia is not suitable because it means without pulse, and it is used to mark condition without breathing and with still maintenance of the pulse. The term birth asphyxia has been replaced with the term neonatal encephalopathy because this latter term does not imply a causal relationship. The proofs suggest that 70-80% of cerebral palsy is caused by prenatal factors and birth asphyxia has relatively less role with 10%. Aim of the study is to determine the neonatal encephalopathy as perinatal etiological factor of the cerebral palsy. Sample was consisted of 80 children and adolescents with cerebral palsy of Canton Sarajevo, age from 6 up to 20 (1998-1984); mean age was 13,94 years, 47 male (58,75%) and 33 (41,25% female. Study is cohort, descriptive and retrospectively prospective. 35 (43,75%) participants had prenatal etiological factors, 37 (46,25%) perinatal, 5 (6,25%) postnatal and unknown etiological factors 3 (3,75%) participants. Birth weight less than 2500 gr had 35 children (43,75%), 2501-3500 gr 26 children (32,5%), more than 3501 gr 17 children (21,25%) and for 2 children (2,5%) birth weight was unknown. For 66 children (82,5 %) Apgar score was unknown: 32 parents (40%) didn't remember, 12 (15%) didn't have document of hospital dismissal because of the war, in 20 (25%) documents of hospital dismissal there were no Apgar score and 2 children were born at home. For 14 children (17,5%) Apgar score is known: 4 (5%) Apgar: 0-4, 3 Apgar: 5-7, 7 (8,75%) Apgar >7. Conclusion: Time of birth before introduction of modern neonatal intensive care in Bosnia and Herzegovina and wartime produced more representation of perinatal etiological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]