Clinical neurology in neonatal units

Clinical assessment is often neglected in neonatal intensive care units due to technical difficulties. When a child is in a more stable situation and when maturation progresses with postnatal weeks, neurologic assessment becomes more and more important, as it is related to the upper hemispheric functions. Several aspects are discussed here: 1) identification of maturation stages measured at 2-week intervals; 2) assessment of optimal central nervous system function in fullterm neonates at 40 corrected weeks; and 3) identification of neurologic signs and symptoms, evolutive profile, and estimation of severity. Early intervention programs and follow-up have to be based on these clinical findings in order to focus on the infants who really need these services.