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Hi - I know "spastic quad CP " meand all four limbs (arms & legs etc..)

I was wondering - is there a website somewhere explaining these terms ?

Hi, Gordon.

:- spastic quad CP - in Anthony's case it is all 4 limbs, his arms more than his legs but he has good trunk/head control so is probably more a double hemiplegic (both sides) Usually quads have weaker trunks and legs are more affected than arms. 

:- PVL - Periventricular Leukomalacia - the tissue around the ventricles of his brain are damaged. Loose translation of PVL is "softening of the white matter." In Anthony's case this is due to a bleed at or shortly after birth probably due to his premature birth at 30 weeks gestation.

:- grade IV bleed - indicates the severity of the bleed. Grade I is very mild and usually causes no discernable problems. Grade IV is the most severe. Anthony has all lobes of his brain affected. According to his CT scan he should be much more affected than he is. This is probably due to the remarkable plasticity of the infant brain - he has managed to re-route many of his pathways around and through the damaged areas.

:- HBO- HyperBaric Oxygen treatments (aka HBOT or HOT) - 100% oxygen is administered under pressure in a special chamber. It is able to be delivered in this way to tissues that do not currently get O2 due to impaired circulation or damage. In CP the idea is that some of the non-functioning areas of the brain can be stimulated by O2 and can resume functioning. Still only a theory and controversial as a result. We have noticed some definite improvements in Anthony as a result of HBO : decreased spasticity, improved quality of sleep, more alert, improved speech. Not a cure but a good adjunct for traditional OT, PT, SLP for our son. However it is not available everywhere and  it is expensive. If you are seriously considering it for yourself, and have to travel, check out the UK or Canada - generally less expensive than the US.

Hope this helps.

Yvonne