Key Points Evaluation of neonatal hypotonia includes neuromuscular conditions, and the diagnostic work-up should be approached in a stepwise manner. A normal creatine phosphokinase does not completely rule out muscle disease. Electromyography is useful in the diagnostic evaluation of hypotonia…
Key Points Perinatal stroke is a vascular event causing focal interruption of blood supply and can be categorized based on the vascular distribution of stroke (arterial or venous), age at the time of stroke, and age at presentation. When a…
Key Points Neonatal encephalopathy is a clinical syndrome that can result from a variety of underlying causes. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a major cause of neonatal brain injury and mortality worldwide. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy are useful…
Key Points Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) remains a common cause of chronic neurologic morbidity. Despite a gradual decline in the incidence of most grades of IVH, the increased survival of very low birth weight infants has resulted in an increase in…
Key Points Brain malformations are a significant source of morbidity and death in neonates. Advances in imaging and genetics now allow more specific diagnoses. Early and specific diagnosis allows more precise prognostication, including improved monitoring for complications and treatment decisions.…
Key Points The brain of the preterm and term newborn infant is actively developing, with several key steps occurring during the third trimester, such as the end of neuronal migration, programmed cell death, the generation of axons and dendrites, and…
Key Points Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common birth defect with continually improving survival of neonates with complex lesions requiring heart surgery. Neurodevelopmental (ND) abnormalities are common in school-age children and adolescents after neonatal heart surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging…
Key Points The term supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) encompasses several different arrhythmias that may have different diagnostic and therapeutic requirements. Tachycardia mechanisms may be caused by conduction reentry, enhanced automaticity, or triggered automaticity. Isolated atrial and ventricular ectopy is common in…
Key Points Clinical signs of a symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) usually appear later than echocardiographic signs and are related to the degree of left-to-right ductal shunting. Factors known to play a prominent role in regulation of ductal patency involve…
Key Points Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) can occur with parenchymal lung disease, with pulmonary hypoplasia, or without associated lung disease ( idiopathic ) and has an incidence of 0.2% in term infants and up to 2% in…