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Neurologic Development and Objective Neurological Examination of the Infant and the Child

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Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery

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Abstract

The neurological examination remains of paramount importance for establishing either the normal or the pathological condition of an infant and a child. Observation is especially crucial for detecting mental, motor, behavioural abnormalities and often enables the child neurologist to correctly suspect the topography of the affected functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

Differently from the adult, the child brain and its corresponding abilities are in progress. This implies that the child neurologist must have suitable knowledge also of the developmental stages of the changing anatomy and function of the brain from the fetal period to the childhood throughout.

The neurological examination of the newborn is substantially different due to the presence of neonatal reflexes and the first onset of relationship abilities.

Neurological signs and symptoms may be of enormous value for the diagnosis but they are far less than the number of the neurological diseases in the infant and child; that’s why they ought to be regarded with careful attention and always considered as a whole with motor, mental, behavioural and language development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy

    Elvio Della Giustina

Authors
  1. Elvio Della Giustina
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elvio Della Giustina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany

    Concezio Di Rocco

  2. Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California, USA

    Dachling Pang

  3. University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    James T. Rutka

Section Editor information

  1. Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany

    Concezio Di Rocco

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Della Giustina, E. (2017). Neurologic Development and Objective Neurological Examination of the Infant and the Child. In: Di Rocco, C., Pang, D., Rutka, J. (eds) Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_2-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_2-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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