scarf 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.

scarf sign

A fanciful term for a test used to assess gestational age in a neonate.

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.