Updates

Health Professionals Desmond Fetal-Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinics

If you are a patient, please visit the Desmond Fetal-Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinics for more contact, scheduling, and location information.

Referring Provider Instructions

The Desmond Fetal-Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Program offers comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments and longitudinal follow-up of children at high-risk for developmental disabilities with fetal and neonatal risk factors.

To refer your patient to the Desmond Fetal-Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinic, please complete the following steps.

  1. Review Referral Criteria
    Patients referred to this clinic will be triaged into one of three branches based on their clinical needs. Please review the clinical referral criteria for each branch of the Desmond Clinics, below:

Referral Criteria

  • Birthweight <1500 grams
    • Gestational Age < 32 weeks
    • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
    • Treated with ECMO without confirmed neurologic injury*
    • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
    • GI surgery (Gastroschisis, NEC, etc.)
    • Prolonged (>1 week) or severe symptomatic hypoglycemia without neurologic injury*
    • Twin to twin transfusion without confirmed neurologic injury*
    • Multiple congenital anomalies/Genetic syndromes without predominant neurologic features
    • Metabolic disorders not requiring neurologic symptom management
    • Congenital infections without confirmed neurologic injury*
    • Higher order multiples (>triplets)
    • Infants with intrauterine drug exposure requiring hospitalization for therapy >30 days
    • Any other neurobiologic or psychosocial risk factor that neonatologists are concerned poses increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcome (including complicated NICU courses >3 months at the discretion of referring team)

*Neurologic Injury (i.e. abnormal MRI findings/neurologic exam, seizures)

Referral Criteria

  • Medication management by neurology at the time of NICU discharge (anti-seizure medication, neuromuscular medication, etc)
    • Neonatal Seizures
    • Prior Evaluation with Fetal Neurology Consultation
    • If NOT Qualifying to be seen in the comprehensive Early Motor Disorder Clinic:
      • Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy with or without therapeutic hypothermia
      • Twin to twin transfusion with known neurologic sequelae
      • Congenital brain anomalies
      • Congenital infections with known neurologic sequelae (i.e. abnormal MRI findings or neurologic exam)
      • Acquired CNS infections in neonatal period (meningitis/encephalitis)
      • Treated with ECMO with known neurologic injury (hypoxic injury on imaging, stroke, CNS vascular pathology
      • Severe hypoglycemia with MRI changes +/- seizures
      • Hydrocephalus (acquired or congenital)
      • Grade 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage
      • Other Intracranial Hemorrhage (including posterior fossa, intraparenchymal)
      • Cystic Periventricular Leukomalacia
      • Any infant who required neurologic and/or neurosurgical services in the NICU or at discretion of the referring team.

Referral Criteria

  • Concern for spasticity, dystonia, or severe hypotonia in the NICU
    • Potential High-Risk Diagnoses:
      • Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy with or without therapeutic hypothermia
      • Twin to twin transfusion with known neurologic sequelae
      • Congenital brain anomalies
      • Congenital infections with known neurologic sequelae (i.e. abnormal MRI findings or neurologic exam)
      • Acquired CNS infections in neonatal period (meningitis/encephalitis)
      • Treated with ECMO with known neurologic injury (hypoxic injury on imaging, stroke, CNS vascular pathology
      • Severe hypoglycemia with MRI changes +/- seizures
      • Hydrocephalus (acquired or congenital)
      • Grade 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage (periventricular hemorrhagic venous infarction - PVHI)
      • Other Intracranial Hemorrhage (including posterior fossa, intraparenchymal)
      • Cystic Periventricular Leukomalacia

*Neurologic Injury (i.e. abnormal MRI findings/neurologic exam, seizures)

Referrals are accepted for children under the age of 12 months at time of referral OR at the time of NICU discharge, whichever is later. Referrals after this age should be sent directly to the requested specialty.

  1. Complete the online referral form or submit via Texas Children’s Link
  1. Provide patient with scheduling instructions
  1. Follow your patients’ care
    Request access or log in to Texas Children's Link, an online provider portal connection to Texas Children’s electronic medical record. With Texas Children's Link, you are able to place and cancel orders and referrals, access patient medical records, view images, receive updates and notifications, and more.

Need Help?

If you are a referring provider’s office needing referral assistance or a provider needing to speak to an on-call specialist, please contact the Provider Connect team, M-F 8a-5p, excluding holidays:

  1. Phone: 832-TCH-CARE (832-824-2273)
  2. Toll-Free: 877-855-4857
  3. Email: providerconnect@texaschildrens.org
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