Early Intervention in Infants With Perinatal Stroke

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Other: CIMT; Other: HABIT; Other: baby-massage

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02720432

2015/1299

Details and patient eligibility

About

This current study proposes to analyze the feasibility and effects of the two most used therapies, constraint-induced movement therapy and hand-arm bimanual intensive training, in very young infants (less than one year) with perinatal stroke and with a high risk to develop hemiplegic CP.

Full description

Perinatal stroke constitutes an acute presentation of encephalopathy; manifesting as seizure, altered mental status, and/or neurological deficit; between birth and the twenty-eight postnatal day for which a pattern of ischemic brain injury in an arterial distribution is evident by neuroimaging. Following perinatal stroke, approximately 60% of children develop cerebral palsy (usually presenting as spastic hemiplegia), 30-60% experience epilepsy, 25% show language delay, and up to 22% manifest behavioral problems.

The current most predictive tools for early diagnosis of CP are a combination of brain MRI/cUS and a general movements (GM) assessment in the fidgety period (9). Asymmetry of fidgety GMs around 12 weeks post term can be the first clinical signs of hemiplegia.

There are currently two intensive therapy approaches aiming at improving upper limb performance in adults and children (average age 8 years) with established hemiplegic CP: constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) and Hand-arm bimanual intensive training (HABIT). Those current therapy approaches fundamentally comprise repeated practice of desired movements based on motor learning principles with the adult/ child as an active participant.

Both therapies, in adults and in children with established hemiplegic CP (average age 8 years) are effective and show similar improvements if the dosage of therapy is similar. In contrast, the feasibility and the effects of both therapy approaches at very young age (under age 1 year) is still unknown (22). Exploring these options to treat even before asymmetric hand use has appeared is interesting and promising enough since recent animal studies have demonstrated that there is a critical period of motor system plasticity, and that activity-dependent reorganization of the motor-projection pattern to the hand occurs before about 1 year of age

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4 to 8 months old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Infants with a perinatal stroke confirmed on neonatal imaging and from who the parents speaks Dutch and live in Belgium, will be included in the study. Only infants showing abnormal 'general movements' between 10 and 15 weeks will be eligible for the intervention part.

Exclusion criteria

• Infants with severe genetic abnormalities or malformations, with severe visual impairments or with uncontrolled seizures will be excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 3 patient groups

CIMT

Experimental group

Description:

A soft splint or restraint will be posed to best functioning hand of the infant only during the therapy session. Parents will be educated to perform the therapy, which consists of stimulation of reaching and grasping with the hemiplegic arm. The whole intervention period lasts 18 weeks, separated into 3 blocks of 4 weeks intervention and 2 blocks of 3 weeks of rest. During the intervention weeks parents will perform CIMTfor 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

Treatment:

Other: CIMT

HABIT

Experimental group

Description:

No restraint will be implemented and instead of promoting unilateral grasping, bimanual grasping will be stimulated. Toys will be precisely selected to stimulate progressed bimanual grasping. The approach of the therapist and parents remain equal. The whole intervention period lasts 18 weeks, separated into 3 blocks of 4 weeks intervention and 2 blocks of 3 weeks of rest. During the intervention weeks parents will perform HABIT for 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

Treatment:

Other: HABIT

Baby-massage

Sham Comparator group

Description:

3 sessions of baby-massage will be given by a qualified instructor

Treatment:

Other: baby-massage