Background and aims Cerebralpalsy is an umbrella term for a group of disorders affecting body movement, balance and posture. Attempt should be made to establish the underlying cause. Children should be monitored for comorbidities, so that early intervention could be undertaken.

Method Retrospectivestudy of case notes of all children known to have cerebral palsy in Telford and Wrekin in UK.

Results There were 36 children, aged 2 yrs 9 mths to 15 yrs 8 mths (at Sep 09) - 24 boys and 12 girls.

Most children (91%) were given the diagnosis belowthe age of 24 mths (mean 16.3 mths).

11 (31%) were preterm, under 32 weeks gestation and 18 (50%) were born at term.

11 (31%) are in special schools.

32 (89%) were investigate dradiologically. There were radiological abnormalities in 69% of those scanned.

The majority of children, 32 (89%) had SpasticCP of which- 14 (42%) had diplegia.

22 out of 36 children (61%) had co morbid problems.

Screening for co morbidities was noted to beinconsistent.

Conclusions Neuroimagingis recommended in the evaluation of cerebral palsy if the aetiology is notestablished.¹ Other investigations such as metabolic and genetic studies should be guided by the clinical presentation. A unified pathway with a checklist highlighting key points to identify co morbidities early is suggested to improve the quality of care.

Reference 1 Ashwal S et al 2004 Practice Parameter :Diagnostic assessment of children withcerebral Palsy. Neurology 2004:62:851-863e. Attempt should be made to establish underlying cause