Caesarean Delivery Does Not Reduce Risk of Cerebral Palsy

A latest study knocks the long-held theory that a caesarean delivery protects infants from the risk of cerebral palsy.

For a long time it was assumed that cerebral palsy occurred due to low oxygen levels and trauma at birth. During delivery when the doctor fails to monitor the baby's heart rate and there is a delay in C-section, the baby's brain gets damaged due to lack of oxygen resulting in cerebral palsy. The risk of this is lowered by performing caesarean delivery before or during labor.

But a latest study conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide debunks this theory stating caesarean deliveries do not prevent infants from developing cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is known to cause physical disabilities. It mainly affects the nervous system and the brain. When a baby crawls in an unusual manner and has problems in sucking and feeding, it is a clear indication that the child suffers from cerebral palsy.  

The Australian Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Research Group, based in the University's Robinson Institute, examined over 3,800 cerebral palsy cases and also analyzed some 1.7 million healthy children. The researchers noticed that cerebral palsy was not affected by the elective cesarean delivery that was conducted before labor or during labor.

According to the study reports, there has been a six fold increase in the rate of cesarean deliveries in Australia since the last 40 years whereas this number has not affected the incidence of cerebral palsy that remains at 2-2.5 per 1000 births.

This study clearly indicates that the mode of delivery has no effect on the incidence of cerebral palsy. The team is currently studying the genetic origins of cerebral palsy.

Emeritus Professor MacLennan says, "This will influence cases of cerebral palsy litigation, where it is often claimed that earlier caesarean delivery would have avoided the cerebral palsy outcome. We now need to focus our efforts on finding the antenatal causes of cerebral palsy and their prevention. These may include genetic vulnerability and environmental triggers, such as infection. It should be noted that carefully selected caesarean delivery on occasions may prevent stillbirth or reduce the risk of other complications in the newborn, but it will not reduce the risk of cerebral palsy."

The study was presented in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.