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Diplegia
Paralysis (loss of movement and/or sensation) of the same body part on both sides of the body or of two similar parts on opposite sides of the body. Examples of diplegia would be when both hands are paralyzed or two similar parts of the face on both sides of the body are paralyzed. There are several specific types of diplegia, depending on the body part affected.

Diplegia comes from the Greek word, "di" meaning "two," and the word "plege," meaning "stroke." Put the two words together and you have "two stroke," referring to the two sides of the body affected by the paralysis. A stroke is a burst artery (a type of blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart) or a blockage of an artery in the brain. Because strokes sometimes lead to loss of movement and/or sensation in parts of the body, the word "plegia" is used to refer to such conditions. Strokes and other types of brain damage typically lead to hemiplegia. Hemiplegia is loss of the ability to move and/or feel one side of the body. Other types of "plegias" include quadriplegia, hemiplegia, and paraplegia. Diplegia is also known as double hemiplegia.