Magnesium Sulfate and Cerebral Palsy

OB - GYN To Go- Show #13: Magnesium Sulfate and the Possible Protective Effects for Cerebral Palsy

Dr. Philip Schlossman and Dr. Jennifer Merriman discuss recent New Englad Journal of Medicine articles regarding the use of Magnesium Sulfate antenatally to provide possible protection for some cases of cerebral palsy.

Articles Discussed: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Magnesium Sulfate for the Prevention of Cerebral Palsy, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008; ASSK 2009 Comment Magnesium Sulfate for the Prevention of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive deficit in motor functioning and posture, typically diagnosed in childhood, with an unknown precise etiology. While its severity can vary, it can be quite debilitating for the child and family, adding significant additional medical costs to caring for CP affected individuals as well as negatively impacting their quality of life. About of a third of all cases of Cerebral Palsy are associated with pre-term birth. While general causes of pre-term birth and its prevention would certainly reduce over all the number of cases of CP, it has been thought that provision of magnesium sulfate antentally may provide some neuroprotection and help reduce the number of cases of CP seen in pre-term infants. Dr. Schlossman and Dr. Merriman discuss the studies, their design, strengths and weaknesses, and how this impacts treatment decisions in clinical practice.

Click here to listen to Magnemisum Sulfate and Cerebral Palsy, Show #13