Claudio Gallo

Hand movements at 3 months predict later hemiplegia in term infants with neonatal cerebral infarction

Aim  The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of quantitative assessment of hand movements in 3‐month‐old infants after neonatal stroke.

Posture and movement in healthy preterm infants in supine position in and outside the nest

Objective: To evaluate whether lying in a nest affects the posture and spontaneous movements of healthy preterm infants. Method: 10 healthy preterm infants underwent serial video recording in the supine position, when lying in a nest and outside it, at three ages: 30–33 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) (early preterm), 34–36 weeks PMA (late preterm) and 37–40 weeks PMA (term). The nest was shell-shaped, made by putting two rolled blankets in a form of an oval. Posture was assessed both before and after general movements by scoring the predominant postural pattern. Movements towards and across the midline, elegant wrist movements, abrupt hand and/or limb movements, rolling to side, and frozen postures of the arms and legs were assessed during four general movements. All data relating to motor and postural items were normalised into frequencies of events per minute because the general movements varied in duration. Results: When lying in the nest, the infants more often displayed a flexed posture with shoulder adduction and elbow, and hip and knee flexion, and the head was frequently in the midline. The nest was also associated with an increase in elegant wrist movements and movements towards and across the midline and a reduction in abrupt movements and frozen postures of the limbs. The nest did not affect the occurrence of asymmetrical tonic neck posture. Conclusions: A nest promotes a flexed posture of the limbs with adduction of shoulders, facilitates elegant wrist movements and movements towards and across the midline and reduces abrupt movements and frozen postures of the arms and legs.

Posture, spontaneous movements, and behavioural state organisation in infants affected by brain malformations

Posture, quantity of spontaneous movement patterns, quality of general movements (GMs), and behavioural state organisation were studied in nine infants affected by documented brain malformations. A single 1 h video recording of five infants and two or more serial video recordings of another four infants were performed after birth. The graphic representation of single movement patterns (actogram) and of behavioural states of one video recording was performed in eight out of nine infants. The quality of GMs was assessed according to Prechtls method in all video recordings. All nine infants showed a less variable posture than normal newborn infants and an unusual resting posture was detected in seven infants. Poor behavioural state organisation without sleep cycles was common to the nine infants and excessive wakefulness was observed in six infants. As for the quantity of single movement patterns, six infants lacked one or two movement patterns normally present in healthy newborn infants. An abnormal quality of GMs was noted in all nine infants and distinct motor abnormalities were observed in single infants. A monotonous and sometimes stereotyped sequence of different body parts involved in the movement (i.e. poor repertoire GMs) was common to all infants. In the four infants of whom two or more video recordings were available, initial poor repertoire GMs were followed by a further deterioration in movement quality. No relationship was found between the quantity of defective brain tissue, lack of a specific part of the brain, type and severity of GM and posture abnormalities.

Preterm birth and developmental problems in the preschool age. Part I: minor motor problems

Nearly half of very preterm (VP) and extremely preterm (EP) infants suffers from minor disabilities. The paper overviews the literature dealing with motor problems other than cerebral palsy (CP) during infancy and preschool age. The term “minor motor problems” indicates a wide spectrum of motor disorders other than CP; “minor” does not mean “minimal”, as a relevant proportion of the preterm infants will develop academic and behavioural problems at school age. Early onset disorders consist of abnormal general movements (GMs), transient dystonia and postural instability; these conditions usually fade during the first months. They were underestimated in the past; recently, qualitative assessment of GMs using Prechtl’s method has become a major item of the neurological examination. Late onset disorders include developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and/or minor neurological dysfunction (MND): both terms cover partly overlapping problems. Simple MND (MND-1) and complex MND (MND-2) can be identified and MND-2 gives a higher risk for learning and behavioural disorders. A relationship between the quality of GMs and MND in childhood has been recently described. The Touwen infant neurological examination (TINE) can reliably detect neurological signs of MND even in infancy. However, the prognostic value of these disorders requires further investigations.

Preterm birth and developmental problems in infancy and preschool age Part II: cognitive, neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes

Abstract Few studies focus on the neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes of preterm children at preschool age. This article reviews the most recent and relevant contributions on cognitive, neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes, and the neuroradiological findings in extremely and very preterm infants. In the first 2 years of life, cognitive impairment is common: it has an incidence of 30–40% and a higher prevalence than neuromotor and neurosensorial impairments. Recent studies report that even preterm infants with no major disabilities at preschool age perform more poorly than term peers in multiple neuropsychological domains, such as language, attention, memory, visuomotor and visuospatial processing and executive functions. The incidence and severity of problems increase with decreasing gestational age. A delayed acquisition of neuropsychological functions and/or the occurrence of behavioural problems at preschool age are likely to be predictive of the high rate of cognitive deficits at school age and in adolescence. Neuropsychological functions across multiple developmental domains should be assessed longitudinally during routine follow-up checks.

Neonatal herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus is an important cause of neonatal infection, which can lead to death or long-term disabilities. Rarely in utero, the transmission frequently occurs during delivery. The disease may be disseminated, localized to the central nervous system, or involving skin, eye and/or mouth. Mortality rates markedly decreased with high-dose antiviral treatment. Diagnosis of neonatal infection is based on viral isolation from ulcerated vesicles or by scarifying mucocutaneous lesions. Recently polymerase chain reaction plays a central role for both viral detection (skin, mucosal, cerebrospinal fluid samples) and response to therapy. Vertical transmission may be decreased by prophylactic antiviral treatment.

Hypothermia reduces seizure burden and improves neurological outcome in severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: an observational study.

To evaluate the antiepileptic effect of hypothermia and its association with neurological outcome in infants with moderate and severe hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Fatal pneumonia following maternal HSV-1 viraemia in late pregnancy

Abstract Neonatal Herpes simplex virus (HSV) pneumonia without apparent accompanying disseminated infection is a rare condition. We describe a case of neonatal pneumonia following maternal HSV type 1 viraemia in late pregnancy. A review of the literature shows that cases of HSV presenting as pneumonia in the first week of life are the most severe form of neonatal HSV.

Massive thymic hemorrhage and hemothorax occurring in utero

Background Thymic enlargement is a common and physiological finding in children and neonates’ X-rays, but it is usually asymptomatic. Occasionally it can cause respiratory distress. In most cases the aetiology of this expansion remains unclear and it is diagnosed as a thymic hyperplasia. True thymic hyperplasia is defined as a gland expansion, both in size and weight, while maintaining normal microscopic architecture. Often it is a diagnosis of exclusion and prognosis is good.Thymic haemorrhage is an unusual condition related to high foetal and neonatal mortality.Case PresentationWe report a case of spontaneous massive thymic haemorrhage in a newborn developing at birth acute respiratory distress associated with severe bilateral haemothorax.Thymic enlargement was evident after pleural evacuation and confirmed by radiographic, Computed Tomography (CT) images and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) sequences. The spontaneous resolution of this enlargement seen with CT scan and MRI sequences suggested a thymic haemorrhage; surgery was not necessary.ConclusionThymic haemorrhage should be considered in newborn infants with pleural effusion, mediastinal space enlargement and Respiratory Distress.

Neurological Examination of the Newborn Infant

A simple neurological screening examination should be performed on all newborn infants as part of the general medical examination. It should consist of an assessment of state of consciousness-reactivity, spontaneous motor activity, neck, trunk and limb muscle tone and some primitive reflexes (e.g. suck and grasp. Not all experts include the Moro reflex in the general examination on the basis that it is cruel to startle a person) [1].