Gastroesophageal reflux and infantile cerebral palsy: our experience and review of the literature

22 infant and children, all tetraplegic from cerebral palsy were admitted to our hospital for suspected gastroesophageal reflux. This working diagnosis was confirmed in 17 of them (77%) by an upper GI series and/or 24 hour oesophageal pH monitoring. All 17 were treated with medical therapy. In only 12.5% of them gastroesophageal symptoms improved. Seven children underwent surgery with complete resolution of vomiting in 57% of cases. These data confirm the high frequency of gastroesophageal reflux in children with cerebral palsy and its poor response to medical therapy. Most of these patients require surgical treatment, which unfortunately does not always resolve this vexing problem.