How to assess and support the child with microcephaly

With this review, our aim is to support community and secondary level acute paediatricians with a concise structured framework for the assessment and initial management of microcephalic children. Microcephaly can be classified in primary, when it is detected in pregnancy or secondary, when it develops after birth. We take into consideration: practical aspects of evaluating microcephaly; key parts of the consultation including focused history taking and examination; a structured approach to guide initial differential diagnosis with some examples; a description of available investigations; recommendations for referral to tertiary level neurologists and geneticists.