Clinical trials

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a motor impairment due to a brain malformation or a brain lesion before the age of two. Spasticity, hypertonus in flexor muscles, dyscoordination and an impaired sensorimotor control are cardinal symptoms. The brain lesion is non-progressive, but the flexor muscles of the limbs will during adolescence become relatively shorter and shorter (contracted), forcing the joints into a progressively flexed position. This will worsen the positions of already paretic and malfunctioning arms and legs. Due to bending forces across the joints, bony malformations will occur, worsening the function even further. Currently, the initial treatment of choice is the use of braces, which diminishes the shortening somewhat, but eventually lengthenings of tendons and release of aponeuroses around the muscles often is needed, and transfers of wrist flexors to wrist extensors may improve wrist position. But the long-term results are unpredictable- how much does the muscle need to be lengthened? What muscles should be transferred for a better position of the wrist, and at what tension? A method to measure sarcomere length in vivo has been developed. The sarcomere, the distance between two striations, is the smallest contractile unit in the striated muscle. When, during surgery, a muscle fiber bundle is transilluminated with a low energy laser light, a diffraction pattern is formed. This diffraction pattern reflects the sarcomere length, and thereby an instant measure of how the stretch of the muscle is obtained. When performing tendon transfers of e.g. wrist flexors to wrist extensors, the setting of the tension of the transfer is arbitrary, and the long-term result is unpredictable. Laser diffraction measurements will give a guide to a precise setting of tension. It is known that there may be pathological changes in muscle in cerebral palsy that also will affect the long-term results of tendon lengthenings and transfers. In order to also take these changes into account, small muscle biopsies will be taken during the same surgeries. These will be examined with immuno-histochemical and biochemical techniques, gel-electrophoresis as well as electron microscopy.

* Cerebral palsy (CP) is a motor disorder caused by an injury to the immature brain. Even though the brain damage does not change, children with CP will have progressively weaker, shorter and stiffer muscles that will lead to contractures, bony deformations, difficulty to walk and impaired manual ability. An acquired brain injury (ABI) later during childhood, such as after a stroke or an injury, will result in similar muscle changes, and will therefore also be included in this study. For simplicity, these participants will in this text be referred to as having CP. * The mechanism for the muscle changes is still unknown. Contractures and the risk for the hips to even dislocate is now treated by tendon lengthening, muscle release and bony surgery. During these surgeries muscle biopsies, tendon biopsies and blood samples will be taken and compared with samples from typically developed (TD) children being operated for fractures, knee injuries, and deformities. The specimens will be explored regarding inflammatory markers, signaling for muscle growth, signaling for connective tissue growth and muscle and tendon pathology. In blood samples, plasma and serum, e.g. pro-inflammatory cytokines and the cytoprotective polypeptide humanin will measured, and will be correlated to the amount humanin found in muscle. With this compound information the mechanism of contracture formation may be found, and hopefully give ideas for treatment that will protect muscle and joint health, including prevention of hip dislocation and general health. * The results will be correlated to the degree of contracture of the joint and the severity of the CP (GMFCS I-V, MACS I-V). * By comparing muscle biopsies from the upper limb with muscle biopsies from the lower limb, muscles that are used in more or less automated gait will be compared to muscles in the upper limb that are used more voluntarily and irregularly. * Muscles that flex a joint, often contracted, will be compared with extensor muscles from the same patient. Fascia, aponeurosis and tendon will also be sampled when easily attainable.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a motor impairment due to a brain malformation or a brain lesion before the age of two. Spasticity, hypertonus in flexor muscles, dyscoordination and an impaired sensorimotor control are cardinal symptoms. The brain lesion is non-progressive, but the flexor muscles of the limbs will during adolescence become relatively shorter and shorter (contracted), forcing the joints into a progressively flexed position. This will worsen the positions of already paretic and malfunctioning arms and legs. Due to bending forces across the joints, bony malformations will occur, worsening the function even further. Since about 25 years a combination treatment with intramuscular botulinum toxin injections, braces and training has had a tremendous and increasing popularity, although lasting long-term clinical advantage is not yet proven. Muscle morphology of the biceps brachii and the gastrocnemius muscles: * The hypothesis is that care as usual, i.e. training and splinting sessions with botulinum toxin as adjuvant treatment, will reduce (normalize) the expression of the fast fatigable myosin heavy chain MyHC IIx and increase the expression of developmental myosin, as a possible sign of growth. As the biceps in the arm is used irregularly and voluntarily, and the gastrocnemius is activated during automated gait, the adaptations of those muscles will be different. Methods: Baseline muscle biopsies: Percutaneous biopsies are taken just before the first intramuscular botulinum toxin injection is given. The doses and the intervals for the botulinum toxin treatment will follow clinical routines. Biopsies 4-6 months, 12 months and 24 months after the first botulinum toxin injection: The exact same procedure as above will be performed, but the biopsies will be taken 2 cm distant, medial or lateral, from previous biopsy sites * Significance:. More knowledge is warranted regarding the actual molecular process in the muscle leading to a contracture, and its relation to the constant communication with the injured central nervous system. This study will give answers that could result in new, early prophylactic treatment of joint movement restrictions and motor impairment in children with CP.