Development of a scoring system for the Milani-Comparetti and Gidoni method of assessing neurologic abnormality in...

This article reports the results of using a scoring system designed for the Milani-Comparetti and Gidoni method of neurologic examination of infants. The system was used in the assessment of 999 infants from the neonatal intensive care units affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin. The sample included all neonates who spent more than five days in the units from 1975 to 1978. Full assessments were conducted at 6 months and at 15 to 16 months corrected gestational age; additional assessments were scheduled by the physical therapists. For data analyses, the scores from the Milani-Comparetti and Gidoni method were summed; infants were subdivided into normal, transiently abnormal, and abnormal on the basis of the summed scores. Abnormal infants were further categorized on the basis of all information available. Several data analyses were performed to test the contribution of each item in separating normal, transiently abnormal, and abnormal infants and in distinguishing one type of abnormality from another. We conclude that the scoring system is useful in quantifying the degree of abnormality, in separating normality from abnormality, and in distinguishing among types of abnormality.