The neurological examination of the newborn baby

Eugenio Mercuri; Daniela Ricci; Marika Pane; Giovanni Baranello

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2005.10.007

The neurological examination of the newborn baby

Early Hum Dev. 2005 Dec;81(12):947-56. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2005.10.007. Epub 2005 Nov 7.

Authors

Eugenio Mercuri¹, Daniela Ricci, Marika Pane, Giovanni Baranello

Affiliation

¹ Paediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University, Rome, Italy; Division of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK. e.mercuri@imperial.ac.uk

PMID: 16274943
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2005.10.007

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the value of a structured neonatal neurological examination that may be performed in different settings, from routine examination to research settings. We will report how a structured neurological examination can help to identify infants with central and peripheral nervous system involvement. We also describe a short but structured proforma to be used for the routine examination of full-term infants. We will finally describe a quantitative assessment to be used in research settings.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Central Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis*
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Newborn, Diseases / diagnosis*
Infant, Premature
Neonatal Screening
Neurologic Examination / methods*
Neuromuscular Diseases / diagnosis*
Reference Values
Risk Factors