[Plantar creasing and assessment of gestational age of the newborn (author's transl)].

Plantar creasing was graded (degrees I to IV) in 178 healthy newborn infants (males and females) and compared with gestational age and age of the mother. No significant correlation was found between these parameters. Thus, the importance attributed to plantar creasing as a parameter for the gestational age in paediatric scoring systems is doubtful. The misinterpretation of the appearance of "laundress hands" as increased plantar creasing is pointed out.