Life Expectancy Determinations: Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Spinal Cord Injury Analysis and Comparison

Abstract

In preparing a life care plan for a disabled individual, a determination of life expectancy isusually necessary. The most common disorders in which life expectancy results have beenstudied in individuals with chronic, non-progressive neurologic disabilities are cerebral palsy(CP), traumatic brain injury (TBI,) and spinal cord injury (SCI). The interpretation ofpublished results, and their practical application to an individual patient, must be determinedby evaluating methodological aspects of the studies, such as when (historically) the data wascollected, how long and to what age the study subjects were followed, whether optimalmedical care was provided, and whether the study subjects had other significant medicalillnesses. In this paper, the methodology for critically analyzing and interpreting theliterature on life expectancy in CP, TBI and SCI is presented. The most importantdeterminants of life expectancy are the specific types and degrees of disabilities that anindividual has. Despite marked clinical differences in the causes of these three chronicneurologic disorders (CP, TBI and SCI), when appropriately analyzed and applied, thesebodies of literature may result in life expectancy determinations that are similar.