DO X-RAYS OR OTHER TESTS HELP IN DIAGNOSIS CEREBRAL PALSY?
[table of contents] As noted above, in making a diagnosis of cerebral palsy the most meaningful aspect of the examination is the physical evidence of abnormal motor function. A diagnosis of cerebral palsy cannot be made on the basis of an x-ray or blood test, though the physician may order such tests to exclude other neurologic diseases (such as those mentioned above). Blood tests and chromosome analysis are helpful in diagnosing hereditary conditions that may influence the parents’ future child-bearing decisions. When the tests indicate that a child’s condition is something other than cerebral palsy and that the condition is inherited, family members will benefit from genetic counselling. Cerebral palsy is not a hereditary condition, however, and these tests will neither establish nor rule out a diagnosis of CP. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans are often ordered when the physician suspects that the child has cerebral palsy. These tests may provide ev
