OBJECTIVE: To compare distribution and intensity of muscular tonus in spastic tetraparetic cerebral palsy (CP), correlating the clinical data with lesion location in the central nervous system. METHOD: Twelve children aged two to four years old with predominantly cortical lesions (six children) and subcortical lesions (six children) were included. The tonus was analyzed in the upper (UULL) and lower limbs (LLLL) based on Durigon and Piemonte protocol. RESULT: There was no significant difference regarding tonus intensity and distribution in the UULL and LLLL in both groups. Comparing the upper and lower limbs of subjects in the same group, the LLLL presented more asymmetry and higher tonus intensity than the UULL. CONCLUSION: In this study children with CP as a result of predominantly cortical or subcortical lesions present a similar deficit in tonus modulation, causing a symmetric and homogeneous distribution of hypertonicity, which is predominant in the LLLL.
cerebral palsy; muscular tonus; central nervous system
