Clinical and neuropathological findings in severe athetoid cerebral palsy: a comparative study of globo-Luysian and thalamo-putaminal groups.

We divided cases of severe athetoid cerebral palsy originating perinatally into two groups neuropathologically, the "globo-Luysian group" (GL) and the "thalamo-putaminal group" (TP). The major abnormal sites in GL were the pallidum and subthalamic nucleus, and in TP the thalamus and putamen. The lesions in TP were more widespread and frequently accompanied by fibrillary gliosis in the central gray matter of the midbrain, and subthalamic nuclei were dominantly devastated. Concerning the etiology, GL and TP were related to perinatal severe jaundice and neonatal asphyxia, respectively. The patients in TP showed lower mental ability and suffered from more intractable convulsions than those in GL. In GL, rigidospasticity was frequently demonstrated with fluctuation of athetoid movements, while in TP various abnormalities of muscle tone were observed, with rather restricted athetosis.