The New Ballard Score is a set of procedures developed by Dr.

Jeanne L Ballard, MD to determine Gestational Age through neuromuscular and physical assessment of a newborn fetus. This site is intended to provide detailed information on gestational age assessment, specifically focused on the New Ballard Score. In the Monograph section each maneuver and examination is described and illustrated in full detail. Use the score sheet to record the results of each examination.

NEUROMUSCULAR MATURITY SCORE

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5

SIGN
Posture Square Window Arm Recoil Popliteal Angle

SIGN SCORE

Scarf Sign Heel To Ear TOTAL NEUROMUSCULAR SCORE

Use this score sheet to assess the gestational maturity of your baby. At the end of the examination the total score determines the gestational maturity in weeks. NEUROMUSCULAR MATURITY SCORE
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5

SIGN
Posture Square Window Arm

SIGN SCORE

Recoil Popliteal Angle Scarf Sign Heel To Ear TOTAL NEUROMUSCULAR SCORE

PHYSICAL MATURITY
SCORE -1 0 1 smooth pink, visible veins 2 superficial peeling &/or rash, few veins 3 cracking, pale areas, rare veins 4 parchment, deep cracking, no vessels 5 SIGN SCORE

SIGN

Sticky, Skin friable, transparent

gelatinous, red, translucent

leathery, cracked, wrinkled

Lanugo

none

sparse

abundant

thinning

bald areas

mostly bald

Plantar Surface

heel-toe 40-50mm: -1 <40mm: -2

>50 mm no crease

faint red marks

anterior transverse crease only stippled areola 1-2 mm bud

creases ant. 2/3 raised areola 3-4 mm bud

creases over entire sole full areola 5-10 mm bud

Breast imperceptable

barely perceptable

flat areola no bud

Eye / Ear

lids fused loosely: -1 tightly: -2

lids open pinna flat stays folded

sl. curved well-curved formed pinna; soft; slow recoil testes in pinna; soft but ready recoil & firm instant recoil testes down, good rugae

thick cartilage ear stiff

Genitals scrotum flat, (Male) smooth

scrotum empty, faint rugae

upper canal, rare rugae

testes descending, few rugae

testes pendulous, deep rugae

Genitals (Female)

clitoris prominent & labia flat

prominent prominent majora & clitoris & clitoris & minora equally prominent

majora large, minora small

majora cover clitoris & minora

small labia enlarging minora minora

TOTAL PHYSICAL MATURITY SCORE

MATURITY RATING
TOTAL SCORE (NEUROMUSCULAR + PHYSICAL) -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

WEEKS 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40

45 50

42 44

References Ballard JL, Khoury JC, Wedig K, et al: New Ballard Score, expanded to include extremely infants. J Pediatrics 1991; 119:417-423.

: premature

http://www.ballardscore.com/Pages/ScoreSheet.aspx