Intra-individual consistency in the quality of neonatal general movements

Background: The qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs) proved to be a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the assessment of the integrity of the young nervous system. It is essential that the quality of GMs remains consistent in an individual during a given recording at a certain date. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the intra-individual consistency of the quality of GMs during one recording. Methods: 39 preterm infants were recorded at least twice; some were recorded three times. In all, 88 recordings were available but three recordings were excluded due to frequent crying, seizures or hypokinesia. Three scorers assessed 2-3 sequences of these 85 GM recordings. Results: The inter-scorer agreement was high (kappa 0.85-0.94). Intra-individual consistency revealed a kappa of 0.90 with a 95% CI (0.51, 1.00) for preterm GMs, 0.96 with a 95% CI (0.57, 1.00) for writhing GMs, and 0.92 with a 95% CI (0.53, 1.00) for fidgety GMs. Conclusions: The individual quality of GMs remains consistent for a neonate or young infant at a certain date. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.