The Key Aspects of Neonatal and Infant Neurological Examination: The Ballard Score, the Infant's Head with Hydrocephalus and Assessment in a Clinical Setting

Zaitun Zakaria; Hans Van Rostenberghe; Noraida Ramli; Mohamad Syahrain Suhaimi; Siti Nur Haidar Hazlan; Jafri Malin Abdullah

doi:10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.16

The Key Aspects of Neonatal and Infant Neurological Examination: The Ballard Score, the Infant's Head with Hydrocephalus and Assessment in a Clinical Setting

Malays J Med Sci. 2023 Aug;30(4):193-206. doi: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.16. Epub 2023 Aug 24.

Authors

Zaitun Zakaria^{1

2

3}, Hans Van Rostenberghe^{4

5}, Noraida Ramli^{4

5}, Mohamad Syahrain Suhaimi^{4

5}, Siti Nur Haidar Hazlan^{4

5}, Jafri Malin Abdullah^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.
² Department of Neurosciences, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.
³ Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Paediatrics, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Abstract

The physical examination of the newborn is essential in diagnosing neurological or neurosurgical conditions in the newborn. This article focuses on three clinical assessments of newborns and infants that are especially important if neurological problems are suspected: The Ballard score, the examination of the head in a baby with (suspected) hydrocephalus, and the neurological and developmental evaluation of an infant in an ambulatory setting. A textual description and a link to a video describe each assessment.

Keywords: Ballard score; hydrocephalus; infant; maturity; neonates; neurology.