Related Experiment Videos
Prognosis of infants with ankle clonus within the first year of life
Insights
Ankle clonus in infants may indicate abnormal neurologic prognoses, especially when persistent or accompanied by other signs. Close observation is crucial for early detection of potential developmental issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Ankle clonus is a common finding in infants.
- Assessing the necessity of close follow-up for infants with ankle clonus is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the assessment criteria for close follow-up in infants presenting with ankle clonus within the first year of life.
- To determine the neurologic prognoses based on specific clinical indicators.
Main Methods:
- Review of neurologic prognoses for 169 infants with documented ankle clonus in their first year.
- Analysis correlated ankle clonus characteristics (age of onset, degree of response) and coexisting neurologic signs with outcomes.
Main Results:
- 57.4% of infants with ankle clonus had normal neurologic outcomes.
- Abnormal outcomes included cerebral palsy (49), mental retardation (12), borderline intelligence (9), and motor delay (2).
- Ankle clonus exceeding ten beats or persisting beyond 8 months, along with specific coexisting signs, predicted abnormal prognoses.
Conclusions:
- Infants exhibiting ankle clonus require careful neurologic assessment.
- Specific patterns of ankle clonus and associated neurologic signs necessitate close observation for potential developmental abnormalities.
Abstract:
The present study was undertaken to clarify how we should assess the necessity of close follow-up in each case, when we first examine an infant with ankle clonus within the first year of life. The neurologic prognoses of 169 infants who had exhibited ankle clonus at least once during the first year of life were reviewed in relation to the age at examination for positive response, degree of response, and coexisting neurologic signs other than ankle clonus. Ninety-seven of them (57.4%) were normal, while the rest had diverse pathologic outcomes: cerebral palsy in 49, mental retardation in 12, borderline intelligence in 9, and motor delay in 2. The neurologic prognoses in infants whose ankle clonus was more than ten beats at any age within the first year of life, and ten or less beats over 8 months of age were always abnormal. In the subjects whose neurologic signs other than ankle clonus appeared within 4 months of age and persisted after 5 months of age, prognoses were generally poor. In infants with such findings, their clinical courses should be closely observed for the possible development of neurologic abnormalities.