Biomaterial Database

DESEMO seats for young children with cerebral palsy. 1986

A P Colbert, and K M Doyle, and W E Webb

Twelve children with cerebral palsy ages 18 months to eight years received custom-molded DESEMO seats. All had markedly abnormal motor function manifested in spastic, athetoid, or mixed patterns of movement. None sat independently or were expected to gain such function. Three had minimal head control, and the remaining nine had fair head control. All were inadequately positioned in commercially available seats. The custom-molded DESEMO seat was clinically evaluated with regard to its ability to produce overall relaxation, assist head control, enhance feeding, improve upper extremity function, and prevent deformities. Also assessed were parents' acceptance of the device, cost, cosmesis, convenience, and its capacity to accommodate growth. Seven children utilized the seat as an insert for a motorized wheelchair. The secure positioning provided by this device permitted operation of a standard hand operated joystick control. Two seats were used as floor sitters, allowing the children to participate in peer group activities. Feeding improved dramatically with two children, as evidenced by weight gain and decreased feeding time. Three children with kyphotic spinal deformities showed no improvement or progression of their curves despite the seating device. The positioning device assisted head control for 10 children but failed to enhance head control in the remaining two. The overall cost of the device, including orthotist and physical therapist time, is $640.00 (1985). The average growth potential of the seat is six to nine months.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D011187	Posture	The position or physical attitude of the body.	Postures
D002547	Cerebral Palsy	A heterogeneous group of nonprogressive motor disorders caused by chronic brain injuries that originate in the prenatal period, perinatal period, or first few years of life. The four major subtypes are spastic, athetoid, ataxic, and mixed cerebral palsy, with spastic forms being the most common. The motor disorder may range from difficulties with fine motor control to severe spasticity (see MUSCLE SPASTICITY) in all limbs. Spastic diplegia (Little disease) is the most common subtype, and is characterized by spasticity that is more prominent in the legs than in the arms. Pathologically, this condition may be associated with LEUKOMALACIA, PERIVENTRICULAR. (From Dev Med Child Neurol 1998 Aug;40(8):520-7)	Diplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Little Disease,Monoplegic Cerebral Palsy,Quadriplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Spastic Diplegia,CP (Cerebral Palsy),Cerebral Palsy, Athetoid,Cerebral Palsy, Atonic,Cerebral Palsy, Congenital,Cerebral Palsy, Diplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Dyskinetic,Cerebral Palsy, Dystonic-Rigid,Cerebral Palsy, Hypotonic,Cerebral Palsy, Mixed,Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Quadriplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Rolandic Type,Cerebral Palsy, Spastic,Congenital Cerebral Palsy,Diplegia, Spastic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Diplegic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Quadriplegic,Little's Disease,Monoplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Rolandic Type Cerebral Palsy,Athetoid Cerebral Palsy,Atonic Cerebral Palsy,Cerebral Palsies, Athetoid,Cerebral Palsies, Dyskinetic,Cerebral Palsies, Dystonic-Rigid,Cerebral Palsies, Monoplegic,Cerebral Palsy, Dystonic Rigid,Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic,Diplegias, Spastic,Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy,Dystonic-Rigid Cerebral Palsies,Dystonic-Rigid Cerebral Palsy,Hypotonic Cerebral Palsies,Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy,Mixed Cerebral Palsies,Mixed Cerebral Palsy,Monoplegic Cerebral Palsies,Spastic Cerebral Palsies,Spastic Cerebral Palsy,Spastic Diplegias
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D003365	Costs and Cost Analysis	Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.	Affordability,Analysis, Cost,Cost,Cost Analysis,Cost Comparison,Cost Measures,Cost-Minimization Analysis,Costs and Cost Analyses,Costs, Cost Analysis,Pricing,Affordabilities,Analyses, Cost,Analyses, Cost-Minimization,Analysis, Cost-Minimization,Comparison, Cost,Comparisons, Cost,Cost Analyses,Cost Comparisons,Cost Measure,Cost Minimization Analysis,Cost, Cost Analysis,Cost-Minimization Analyses,Costs,Measure, Cost,Measures, Cost
D004867	Equipment Design	Methods and patterns of fabricating machines and related hardware.	Design, Equipment,Device Design,Medical Device Design,Design, Medical Device,Designs, Medical Device,Device Design, Medical,Device Designs, Medical,Medical Device Designs,Design, Device,Designs, Device,Designs, Equipment,Device Designs,Equipment Designs
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D006257	Head	The upper part of the human body, or the front or upper part of the body of an animal, typically separated from the rest of the body by a neck, and containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs.	Heads
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man