Summary
| Diagnosis | Sex | Age | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebral Palsy | Male | 2 years | Polish |
| Injections | Cell type | Admission date | Discharge date |
| 9 | UCBSC | 2019-06-30 | 2019-07-26 |
Medical history
The patient was born through a caesarean section at 30 weeks. In the first week of life, he suffered a second-grade brain hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke) and had bilateral pneumothorax. This event left the patient with cerebral palsy. During his first year of life, the patient was receiving rehabilitation therapy through the NDT Bobath approach. In addition, the patient had speech therapy and psychology sessions.
Condition On Admission
At admission, the patient could only speak basic words such as: “mum”, “dad”, “give”, “there”, “yum”, etc. He was not able to pinch and grab things with his forefinger and thumb, he had problems with precise hand movements. He had increased muscle tone, mainly in his lower extremities and within the shoulders. He could not sit properly, he could not crawl. There was no alternating arm/leg movement. He was wearing glasses and had a strabismus.
Treatment Schedule
The patient received 8 umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell (UCBSC) packets by intravenous (IV) and intrathecal injections, as per the schedule below:
| Number | Date | Cell Type | Delivery Method | Side Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-07-02 | UCBSC | Intravenous Injection | none reported |
| 2 | 2019-07-05 | UCBSC | Intrathecal Injection | none reported |
| 3 | 2019-07-08 | UCBSC | Intrathecal Injection | none reported |
| 4 | 2019-07-08 | UCBSC | Retrobulbar Injection | none reported |
| 5 | 2019-07-12 | UCBSC | Intrathecal Injection & Intravenous Injection |
none reported |
| 6 | 2019-07-16 | UCBSC | Intrathecal Injection & Intravenous Injection |
none reported |
| 7 | 2019-07-19 | UCBSC | Intrathecal Injection | none reported |
Condition at discharge
In terms of trunk control, the patient can reach out to grasp an object in any direction with minimal support. He can keep his body straight while standing if we maintain his legs. When crawling, he can alternatively move his arms to go along the way but sometimes he needs slight guidance to help him move his legs alternatively in order to move further. His hips have not stabilized well yet. He can push on his hands to go from a side-lying position to side sitting with minimal assistance. Regarding his gait, he needs to hold someone’s hands in front of him while a therapist is guiding both legs’ motion. He can step forward but still lacks some components of stepping. He has less weight shifting to each side. In occupational therapy, the patient’s attention span, hand function, sitting balance and speech have improved. He can use his right hand better than the left one. He can grasp things with palmar grasp and can use both hands together to perform action right in front of him. He can transfer objects from one hand to the other, and can place pegs in a pegboard with minimal support. He is able to pick up small things with pincer grasp and drop them into a narrow necked bottle with minimal support. Regarding oral-motor activities, the patient has more power than initially when blowing bubbles for instance. He now tries to imitate more words (numbers, letters, shapes, animals and more) even though some words are not clear or their sound is not correct.
Condition 1 month after treatment
At one month after the treatment, the patient’s parents were mentioning: “He has a better body balance. Sometimes, with the right motivation, he is able to sit alone for a moment. He has greater awareness and willingness to use devices on the playground and in the amusement park, e.g. on a carousel, queue.”
Condition 3 months after treatment
At three months after the treatment, the patient’s mother was mentioning: “My son has a better balance when sitting. Picking things with 2 fingers (left hand) has improved. When he wants to pick something up, he already uses two fingers.”
Condition 12 months after treatment
At the 12 month follow up point the patient’s mother reports: “My son sits comfortably, seated cross-legged. He began to crawl independently. He can climb four steps. He is trying to get up. Using orthoses, he can stand still by the furniture. pinching with 2 fingers is good. My son can catch with two fingers and put things even small, in the same place. Speech develops all the time, he speaks sentences. He understands almost everything that is said to him, answers questions and has a much better memory.” Please see an excerpt from the patient’s 12 month assessment below (submitted by his parents):
| Symptom | Assessment of Improvement |
| Appetite | Significant improvement |
| Balance | Significant improvement |
| Bladder control | Moderate improvement |
| Crawling | Significant improvement |
| Drooling | No improvement |
| Head control | Significant improvement |
| Involuntary movements | Significant improvement |
| Learning disability | Significant improvement |
| Limb muscle strength | Significant improvement |
| Mood disorder | No improvement |
| Range of movement | Significant improvement |
| Spasticity | Significant improvement |
| Speech (babbling for infants) | No improvement |
| Standing up | Moderate improvement |
| Swallowing | Significant improvement |
| Trunk muscle strength | Significant improvement |
| Walking | Moderate improvement |