Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Infants with Ischemic/ Hemorrhagic Perinatal Brain Lesions - Abstract
Ischemic/hemorrhagic perinatal brain lesions may severely affect infants’ psychomotor and cognitive development. The ischemic/hemorrhagic lesions are
frequently unilateral. 79 term infants (51 male and 28 female) from 1 week to 3.5 months were studied. All patients had unilateral lesions due to transient
or permanent occlusion of the left or right middle cerebral arteries, left or right intraventricular hemorrhages, and left or right parenchymal bleeding. Except
for 25 infants that did not show any neurological signs, the remaining 54 infants were treated with Katona’s neurotherapy/neurohabilitation and followed up
for 18th-24th months. The follow-up ended when the ability to independent, stable walking developed. Results: Patients with lesions due to vasoconstriction/
occlusion of the cerebral arteries after treatment showed the following outcomes: 42 % were completely recovered, 21% showed latent hemiparesis, and
37% a severe hemiparesis. Treatment of infants with parenchymal bleeding showed an outcome of 52% completely recovered, 15% have latent hemiparesis,
and 12% have severe hemiparesis. Conclusions: Katona’s neurotherapy/neurohabilitation treatment decreases the risk of neurological sequels in infants
with ischemic/hemorrhagic perinatal brain lesions.