Neonatal Neurology and Developmental Care Flashcards

A premature infant in the NICU benefits most from which developmental care principle to reduce stress?

Answer: Clustering care activities and providing containment/nesting

Clustering care reduces the frequency of disturbing the infant, while containment/nesting provides proprioceptive boundaries that mimic the womb and reduce stress.

Kangaroo care (skin-to-skin holding) in the NICU has been shown to provide which benefit?

Answer: Stabilize temperature, heart rate, and improve breastfeeding outcomes

Kangaroo care stabilizes neonatal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, promotes breastfeeding, and improves neurodevelopmental and bonding outcomes.

Which finding on neonatal MRI is most predictive of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes after HIE?

Answer: Basal ganglia and thalamic injury on diffusion-weighted imaging

Basal ganglia and thalamic injury on MRI in HIE is strongly predictive of motor and cognitive impairment, particularly cerebral palsy.

A neonate presents with jitteriness and irritability at 24 hours of age. Mother has a history of opioid use disorder. What condition is most likely?

Answer: Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)

NOWS (formerly NAS) presents with jitteriness, irritability, high-pitched cry, and feeding difficulties in infants exposed to opioids in utero.

Which scoring tool is most commonly used to assess neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) severity?

Answer: Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool

The Finnegan score assesses 21 signs of neonatal abstinence across CNS, autonomic, and GI categories to guide pharmacologic treatment decisions.

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is associated with which long-term outcome?

Answer: Spastic diplegia and cerebral palsy

PVL involves white matter injury adjacent to the lateral ventricles, disrupting descending motor tracts and predisposing to spastic diplegia and cerebral palsy.