Diagnosis

Most diagnosis of cerebral palsy relies on medical history and through physical examination of the individual. This examination is usually provided by a neurologist, and usually more laboratory tests are order to help win the assessment of the severity of the disease.

As there is no single known cause of CP, no single test can diagnose CP. Although as CP has multiple causes, therefore multiple tests are performed to identify the specific causes of CP where possible.

In many cases, blood and urine tests are used to identify some common inborn errors of metabolism in individuals with CP. Blood test may also be used for chromosomal or other genetic studies. Although cases where a diagnosis is not reached, sensitive brain imaging can also be used to aid the diagnosis of CP. Usually an MRI examination is performed, to see the structure of brain and identify any abnormal structures in the brain, which may be able to indicate likelihood of associated problems with CP such as epilepsy and mental retardation.