Introduction In the high-stakes environment of neonatal care, knowing the exact gestational age (GA) of a newborn is not merely an administrative detail—it is a clinical necessity. Gestational age influences every critical decision, from resuscitation protocols at birth to the interpretation of neurological exams, nutritional plans, and the administration of surfactant or antibiotics.
If the infant has clinical signs of intrauterine growth restriction (weight < 10th percentile, head sparing, wasted appearance) or the mother had documented placental insufficiency, subtract 1 week from the calculated GA. This is because growth-restricted infants appear more mature neurologically and physically than their true age. Pro-tip: The official PDF scoring sheet includes a visual chart or nomogram to avoid manual division, but the formula above is standard. Interpreting Results and Clinical Correlation | Capurro GA (weeks) | Clinical Category | | :--- | :--- | | < 34 | Very preterm / Moderate to late preterm | | 34 – 36 | Late preterm | | 37 – 38+6 | Early term | | 39 – 40+6 | Full term | | 41 – 41+6 | Late term | | ≥ 42 | Post-term | capurro edad gestacionalpdf
While obstetric ultrasounds provide the most accurate antenatal dating, millions of infants worldwide are born without reliable last menstrual period (LMP) data or first-trimester sonography. In these cases, clinicians must turn to postnatal physical and neurological maturity assessments. Among the various scoring systems developed over the past 50 years—including the Dubowitz, Ballard (and its New Ballard Score), and Eregie methods—one system stands out for its simplicity, speed, and validation in diverse populations: . This is because growth-restricted infants appear more mature