Brain-typical creatinekinase in the serum of newborn infants with perinatal brain damage.

The normal values of serum-CK-activity in healthy newborns varied greatly (95% range: 4--165 U/l; 257 probands) and the borderline to pathological values was not sharp. Brain-typical CK-isoenzyme (CK-BB) could be detected in serum of 6 of 8 infants with perinatal brain damage by means of agar gel electrophoresis. The combination of neuropathological symptoms, increased total-serum-CK-activity, and significant amount of CK-BB in serum seemed to be a sure sign of severe CNS-damage in newborns.