What are the common causes of spastic diplegia?
In most cases the baby is premature by dates and some children are born as much as 12 weeks before they are expected. Many have very low birth weight; under three pounds and some fewer than two pounds. In some cases the child is a twin or one of a triple. There may be a maternal history of previous miscarriages or premature births and the birth suggests some form of maternal inadequacy. Other premature births resulting in spastic diplegia have followed antenatal hemorrhages in early pregnancy and also pre-eclampsia. Spastic diplegia may follow a full term abnormal birth, or a breech, Caesarian or forceps delivery. In the majority of cases the child was severely ill in the neonatal period. A form of spastic diplegia, identical to the prematurely born cases, may occur in more that one sibling. In some diplegia cases there is no abnormality or family history to account for the condition. In these cases there must be a strong likelihood of a recessive condition. The danger of another child
