MATURATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF GESTATIONAL AGE (New Ballard Score)

NAME________________________________ SEX __________________________________

HOSPITAL NO. ________________________ BIRTH WEIGHT ________________________
RACE_________________________________ LENGTH ______________________________
DATE/TIME OF BIRTH __________________ HEAD CIRC. ___________________________
DATE/TIME OF EXAM __________________ EXAMINER ___________________________
AGE WHEN EXAMINED ________________
APGAR SCORE: 1 MINUTE _____________5 MINUTES ______________10 MINUTES______________

NEOMUSCULAR MATURITY
SCORE
SCORE RECORD
NEUROMUSCULAR Neuromuscular _______
MATURITY SIGN
SCORE
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 HERE Physical ______________
Total ________________

POSTURE
MATURITY RATING

SQUARE WINDOW SCORE WEEKS

(Wrist)
>90° 90° 60° 45° 30° 0° -10 20

ARM RECOIL -5 22
180° 140 –180° 110 –140° 90 –110° <90°
0 24

POPLITEAL ANGLE 5 26
180° 160° 140° 120° 100° 90° <90°
10 28
SCARF SIGN 15 30

20 32
HEEL TO EAR
25 34

30 36
TOTAL NEUROMUSCULAR
MATURITY SCORE
35 38
PHYSICAL MATURITY 40 40
SCORE RECORD
PHYSICAL 45 42
MATURITY SIGN
SCORE
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 HERE
50 44
sticky gelatinous superficial cracking parchment leathery
smooth pink
SKIN friable red peeling &/or pale areas deep cracking cracked
visible veins
transparent translucent rash, few veins rare veins no vessels wrinkled
GESTATIONAL AGE
(weeks)
LANUGO none sparse abundant thinning bald areas mostly bald By dates _____________
By ultrasound ________
heel-toe anterior By exam _____________
>50 mm faint creases creases over
PLANTAR SURFACE 40–50 mm: -1 transverse
no crease red marks ant. 2/3 entire sole
< 40 mm: -2 crease only

barely flat areola stippled areola raised areola full areola

BREAST imperceptible
perceptible no bud 1–2 mm bud 3–4 mm bud 5–10 mm bud

lids fused lids open sl. curved well-curved

formed & firm thick cartilage
EYE / EAR loosely: -1 pinna flat pinna; soft; pinna; soft but
instant recoil ear stiff
tightly: -2 stays folded slow recoil ready recoil

testes in testes testes

GENITALS scrotum flat, scrotum empty upper canal testes down
(Male)
descending pendulous
smooth faint rugae good rugae
rare rugae few rugae deep rugae
clitoris prominent prominent majora & majora
GENITALS clitoris & majora large
(Female)
prominent clitoris & small minora equally cover clitoris
enlarging minora small
& labia flat labia minora minora prominent & minora

Reference TOTAL PHYSICAL

Ballard JL, Khoury JC, Wedig K, et al: New Ballard Score, expanded to include extremely premature infants.
J Pediatr 1991; 119:417–423. Reprinted by permission of Dr Ballard and Mosby—Year Book, Inc.
MATURITY SCORE