Intrapartum asphyxia and cerebral palsy: is there a link?

Overview

Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic cerebral injury, secondary to interruption of placental blood flow that results in cerebral palsy (CP), is a rare event. The ability to link an intrapartum event to subsequent CP should include a history of a sentinel event during labor, followed by the delivery of a depressed acidemic infant, and the subsequent evolution of neonatal encephalopathy, systemic organ injury, and acute neuroimaging abnormalities.