Nutritional Management of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is among the most common neurological impairment. It is caused by nonprogressive damage or malformation while the brain is developing and can affect individual’s speech, motor skills, vision, memory, muscle actions, and learning abilities. The symposium chaired by Prof. Frederic Gottrand highlight the advances in supportive care that have extended the life expectancy of people with CP while also pointed to a key problem experienced by patients: chronic undernutrition or malnutrition. Prof. Gottrand presented strategies in nutritional management of CP including the importance of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to help patient reaching his nutritional needs. Prof. Claudio Romano, put emphasis on the use of fiber in enteral nutrition for CP patients and its benefit in improving nutritional status, diarrhea and constipation.