|
Cerebral Palsy - Back to News Menu
DMC doctor finds way to spot disease in infants
Before symptoms arise, machine intended for animals can scan babies' brains, detect problems.
By Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News
June 19, 2005 - A Detroit doctor -- using a machine first created to study monkeys and rodents -- is finding new ways to detect brain disease in infants months or years before symptoms surface.
Tucked in the basement of Detroit's Hutzel Hospital, a scanning device as big as a small refrigerator maps out chemicals in the brains of babies weighing as little as 2 pounds.
For years the process, called micro positron emissions tomography (PET), was used only on animals undergoing tests in research labs. A larger version of the scanner is used regularly on adults and children but is imprecise when used on infants.
But then an idea struck Dr. Harry Chugani, a neurologist who spent years conducting animal research at the University of California-Los Angeles.
"I said to myself, 'A monkey is about the same size as a newborn -- why don't I stick one of these machines in the nursery?'" said Chugani, now director of the PET Center at Children's Hospital of Michigan.
With $500,000 and approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Chugani managed to snag one of the scanners and is now running tests on newborns at Hutzel.
In doing so, Chugani and his team of doctors are able to pinpoint problems that can show the source of epileptic seizures or signs of cerebral palsy and other brain diseases.
"We can do a scan and try to see what's in store for them," said Chugani, who has sent about 30 infants, bundled up and strapped down, through the machine since it came to Hutzel late last year.
Chugani is the first doctor in the nation to use the machine on infants. The device sketches chemical reactions in the brain. Results can be more telling than an MRI exam or X-ray, which map the anatomy of the brain and other parts of the body but don't trace chemicals.
It's in those chemicals where early signs of diseases may show themselves. And by knowing exactly where in the head those chemical reactions are taking place, doctors can hunt down the source of epileptic seizures, allowing them to operate on problem areas.
Nashville-based CTI Concorde Microsystems has manufactured the micro PET scanner since 2000 and sold about 100 to be used on animals. Since using the scanner on infants is experimental, the hospital can't charge for the tests.
Chugani said doctors have operated on one epileptic baby based on scan results. He also hopes to use the machine to study and predict mental illnesses as well as learn more about how an infant brain heals.
In the case of Latasha Davis and her newborn son, Christian, the micro PET scan brought some peace after weeks of uncertainty after birth.
Davis, an accounting assistant from Detroit, gave birth to Christian in March, two weeks after his due date. He had difficulty crying and one day began to shake. The episodes continued, and Christian was placed on anti-seizure medication.
Soon, the seizures began to subside and an MRI and other tests turned up no major problems. Doctors suggested the micro PET scan as an extra precaution. It also found nothing.
"We didn't have anything to lose, and we wanted to at least know what was going on," said Davis, at home with Christian, a gurgling and smiling 13-pound baby. "This brought closure to the situation."
Advocates fighting cerebral palsy and other brain disorders are hopeful machines such as the micro PET scanner will help unlock new forms of treatment and detection.
New developments have allowed MRI exams to be performed on infants, and scientists are working to find ways to scan babies still in the womb, said Jim Baker, a United Cerebral Palsy spokesman.
Early detection helps parents start physical therapy that will help a child cope with the disease.
"No one can tell parents what will happen for sure," Chugani said. "But this way we can tell them, 'This is what to expect. Pay attention.'"
A brain scan with the PET machine helped affirm that Todd and Latasha Davis' son Christian, who had episodes of shaking, was healthy.
Hutzel Hospital's Teresa Jones puts a model through the micro positron emissions tomography scanner, which is as big as a small refrigerator and maps out chemicals in the brains of babies as little as 2 pounds.
You can reach Sharon Terlep at (313) 223-4686 or sterlep@detnews.com.
German doctors to treat children with cerebral palsy with acupuncture therapy
In the Children's Rehabilitation Center of Georgia, German doctors have begun providing acupuncture to young patients suffering from cerebral palsy, as they expect major improvements in those who undergo the sessions.
Summary:
A group of German doctors have arrived in Tbilisi to help children suffering from cerebral palsy by treating them with acupuncture.
The treatment will be free for socially unprotected people and doctors predict a sharp improvement for those candidates who undergo the course. After therapy, if a child is able to turn over, take a toy in his hands and so on, then this can be considered a good result," said Gudrum Mick, a physiotherapist, said at the presentation.
Two year-old Mariam was unable to move, but after undergoing acupuncture therapy she started moving and was able to turn on to her back.
An improvement could be seen after one course as first she started first crawling, then she could sit without anybody's help, and now she is fully recovered," Mariam's mother told the newspaper.
The Minister of Health Lado Chipashvili along with some well-known Georgian neurologists attended the presentation, although they refrained from making any judgements on the treatment.
However the head of the center's neurological clinic Natela Tatishvili praised the approach. "I like such kinds of alternative treatment and this one is widely used in some cities in Germany, so I welcome it," she told reporters.
The minister of health also advocated trying new methods, but he also advised people to remember that there is no such thing as a miracle cure. "I want to advise parents not to place exaggerated hopes in this treatment; I would also ask doctors to recommend it only if they truly believe that it will have a result," he said on Tuesday.
The German doctors will stay in Georgia for a week and before leaving they will train their Georgian colleagues to be able to continue the treatment on their own.
|
