[A new neonatal primitive reflex: "elbowing." First experiences obtained on 543 Hungarian human newborns and infants]

Between March 2007 and March 2008, authors studied the characteristics of a newly described neonatal primitive reflex, named "elbowing", on 481 mature, mostly healthy human newborns, and 62 premature ones. 1329 examinations were done at birth and later on at different ages, during the first 6 months. The reflex proved to be positive to around 70-80% on the first days of life, and with decreasing prevalence, remained positive to around 25-30% between 4-6 months. There were no significant differences between mature and premature newborns. Further studies are needed especially on pediatric patients with different neonatal pathology, and following newborns with unusual screening (early negative and/or late positive) results is essential.