Treatment of Cerebral Palsy (CP) Disease with Stem Cells

Q: What are the Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

The main symptoms of the disease: Delays in motor skill development such as rolling, sitting alone or crawling Changes in muscle tone, such as excessive stiffness or looseness Vision, hearing and speaking disorders Neurological problems such as seizures, mental disability and blindness Hardness and exaggerated reflexes in muscles which is called spasticity Muscle coordination weakness called ataxia Respiratory disorders Bladder and bowel disorders Trembling and involuntary movements Falling frequently Swallowing problems Preferring one side of the body, for example holding objects with the same hand all the time

In cerebral palsy patients, stem cell therapy heals damaged brain cells, nerve and muscle cells. Preventing and minimizing disorders increases the patient's quality of life at home and in the community and reduces the problems related to the disease.

Stem cells are used in the treatment of Cerebral Palsy due to their ability to transform into those cells upon touching damaged brain cells and to treat damaged nerves and muscles.
This treatment may slow the progression of the disease, completely stop it and make it regress.
The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. The treatment is performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days.
The success rate is related to the patient's age, the duration of the disease and the patient's condition. Very advanced cases may require more than one treatment.

What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

Cerebral Palsy is a state of physical disability caused by damage to the undeveloped brain during prenatal or postpartum period or during delivery. Even though the disease affects muscle movements, it is not caused by a problem in the muscles or nerves.

Abnormalities in the brain that control muscle movements cause cerebral palsy.

It is not a disease progressing over time. Significant improvements can be achieved as a result of early intervention in the traumatized brain and various rehabilitation practices and treatments throughout life.

What are the Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

Most children with cerebral palsy are born with this disorder, but the disorder may not be detected for months or years. The symptoms of the disease may affect the whole body or one side of the body.

This disease should be suspected if weakness or differences in motor movements, muscular weakness, joint and posture disturbances is observed in children between 0 and 12 months of age, and if such children have difficulty adapting to social life, cannot perform activities independently.

Infants with CP reach developmental milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling or walking later than their peers. They may have reflexes that should normally disappear in the early infant.

The main symptoms of the disease:

Delays in motor skill development such as rolling, sitting alone or crawling
Changes in muscle tone, such as excessive stiffness or looseness
Vision, hearing and speaking disorders
Neurological problems such as seizures, mental disability and blindness
Hardness and exaggerated reflexes in muscles which is called spasticity
Muscle coordination weakness called ataxia
Respiratory disorders
Bladder and bowel disorders
Trembling and involuntary movements
Falling frequently
Swallowing problems
Preferring one side of the body, for example holding objects with the same hand all the time

Causes of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Some of the risk factors that cause this disease are:

Blood incompatibility between mother and infant
Infant becomes oxygen deficient during pregnancy or delivery
Mother has a viral or bacterial infection that affects infant's nervous system
Alcohol, drugs or medications used during pregnancy
Premature birth
Low weight birth
Coagulation disorders
Brain hemorrhage

Treatment of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Treatment is focused on preventing or minimizing deformities and improving the patient's quality of life at home and in the community. Children and adults with cerebral palsy require long-term treatment with a medical care team. These treatments include a variety of surgical and non-surgical alternatives.

Non-surgical treatments

Rehabilitation
Position assistance: It is used to help the child sit, lie down or stand.
Orthesis and splints: These are used to prevent deformity, provide support or protect.
Medication treatment: Oral or injection administration to control seizures or reduce spasticity in muscles

Surgical Treatments:

Orthopedic surgery:

Hip dislocation, ankle and foot deformities and muscle contractures.

Neurochirurgy:

Selective dorsal rhizotomy and intrathecal baclofen pump to correct spasticity.

Treatment of Cerebral Palsy (CP) Disease with Stem Cells

Stem cells have the ability to turn into brain cells when they touch damaged brain cells. Therefore, they are used in the treatment of Cerebral Palsy. They also treat damaged nerves and muscles in a similar manner. Thus, they may slow the progression of the disease, completely stop it and make it regress. The success rate of the treatment is proportional to the patient's age, the duration of the disease and the patient's condition. If the disease has severely progressed, treatment may need to be applied more than once.

This disease can be treated at our GenCell Stem Cell Treatment Center in Kiev, Ukraine.

Method of Administration:

The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. Treatment is carried out using mesenchymal stem cells (derived from the patient's own adipose tissue or bone marrow) or fetal stem cells. The treatment of the patient is decided according to the condition of the patient. It can be performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days. The treatment protocol is precisely adjusted according to the patient's condition and a different protocol may be applied for each patient.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Success Rate of Stem Cell Therapy in Cerebral Palsy?

Although the success of the treatment varies according to the age of the patient and the severity of the disease, the success rate of the disease varies in the range of 43 to 87%.

How is Cerebral Palsy Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of CP is made by physical examination. During the examination, the doctor learns the child's prenatal and birth history in detail. CP is usually not diagnosed until the child is 6 to 12 months old. This is the period during which the child reaches certain developmental milestones such as walking, hand and head control.

The following diagnostic tests can be used to diagnose the disease:

Neurological examination: It can be performed to assess reflexes and brain-motor functions.
X-Ray: It can be used to see abnormalities in internal tissues, bones and organs.
Electroencephalogram (EEG): It is a process in which the electrical activities of the brain are recorded continuously with electrodes attached to your scalp.
Examination of the walking: It can be used to assess the way the child is walking.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): It can be used in cases where x-rays are insufficient by creating detailed images from organs and structures inside the body.
Computed Tomography Screening (CT): It is a diagnostic imaging method that uses the combination of x-rays and computer technology to create both horizontal and vertical cross-sectional images of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including bones, muscles, fat and organs.
Genetic tests: These are diagnostic tests that evaluate familial transition conditions.
Metabolic tests and blood tests can also be used for the diagnosis.

What are the types of Cerebral Palsy?

Spastic:

Caused by damage to motor cortex; the muscles are stiffened due to limited movement. It is the most common type with a ratio of 70-80%.

Ataxic:

Caused by cerebellum injury. It affects balance-position of the patient.

Dyskinetic:

Caused by damage to the basal ganglion. It is the least seen type.

Scientific Studies:

Carroll, J. E., & Mays, R. W. (2011). Update on stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy. Expert opinion on biological therapy, 11(4), 463-471.
Shroff, G., Gupta, A., & Barthakur, J. K. (2014). Therapeutic potential of human embryonic stem cell transplantation in patients with cerebral palsy. Journal of translational medicine, 12(1), 318.
Chen, G., Wang, Y., Xu, Z., Fang, F., Xu, R., Wang, Y., … & Liu, H. (2013). Neural stem cell-like cells derived from autologous bone mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of patients with cerebral palsy. Journal of translational medicine, 11(1), 21.
Sharma, A., Sane, H., Gokulchandran, N., Kulkarni, P., Gandhi, S., Sundaram, J., … & Badhe, P. (2015). A clinical study of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells for cerebral palsy patients: a new frontier. Stem cells international, 2015.

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