Movement Analysis by Accelerometry of Newborns for the Early Detection of Movement Disorders due to Infantile Cerebral Palsy

摘要

The most frequent cause of handicap in children is infantile cerebral palsy (ICP). To limit the consequences of ICP, physiotherapy should start as early as possible. Seemingly effective, the developed diagnostic strategies are not easily applicable in a clinical setting, possibly due to its subjective character. The objective approaches are too expensive and too complex to be established in pediatric offices to be used in daily routine. The developed methodology allows the objective diagnosis of developing movement disorders in newborns due to ICP and is able to be established in the daily routine of pediatric clinics. Features as low expenses, less time consuming and manageability make this system available for the screening of large numbers of infants. With an early diagnosis of ICP it is possible to minimize follow-up problems and thus to relieve the health care system and above all to significantly improve the quality of life for both the patients and their families.