scarf sign
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Related to scarf sign: harlequin sign
scarf sign
sign used in Dubowitz scoring (q.v.) to assess developmental age and muscle tone in neonates. The infant's arm is pulled laterally across the chest; in the hypotonic infant, the elbow will cross the midline; in a term infant with normal tone, the elbow will not reach the midline.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
scarf sign
A fanciful term for a test used to assess gestational age in a neonate.Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scarf sign
(skarf)A newborn assessment finding in which the infant's elbow crosses the body midline without resistance as the examiner draws the arm across the chest to the opposite shoulder. This is characteristic of preterm infants born before 30 weeks' gestation.
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners