The utility of the physical examination and investigations in the pediatric neurology consultation

For most consultations the diagnosis is established by a thorough clinical history. We prospectively assessed the impact of each component of the pediatric neurologic consultation in 500 consecutive referrals to a tertiary care pediatric neurology clinic. Diagnosis and management decisions were declared for each patient by the consultant after each stage of the consultation process (1: receipt of consultation letter, 2: history, 3: physical examination and 4: receipt of investigation results). We found that the physical examination and investigations influenced management decisions for less than 6%. Specifically the examination was never influential for children with headaches, Tourette syndrome, developmental delay or attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Investigations never influenced management for those with Tourette syndrome, ADHD, or cerebral palsy. Therefore for the majority of children the critical component of the pediatric neurology consultation is a detailed clinical history.