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Neurodevelopmental outcome in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia survivors during the first three years
Lisette Leeuwen1, Karen Walker2, Robert Halliday2
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Medical School, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) survivors show comparable neurodevelopmental outcomes to healthy peers by age three. While some delays were noted at 12 months, particularly in gross motor skills, these differences resolved by 36 months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatal Intensive Care
Background:
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) is a serious birth defect affecting lung development.
- Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in CDH survivors require comprehensive assessment.
- Early identification of developmental trajectories is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the neurodevelopmental status of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia survivors.
- To track developmental milestones from 12 to 36 months of age.
- To compare outcomes against normative data and a healthy control cohort.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal assessment of CDH patients at 12 and 36 months.
- Utilized the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition.
- Compared patient scores to published norms and a matched healthy control group.
Main Results:
- At 12 months, 18% of CDH patients exhibited severely delayed gross motor skills.
- Mild delays in expressive language and gross motor skills were observed in 6% at 12 months.
- By 36 months, 21% had mild expressive language delays, but overall scores were similar to controls.
Conclusions:
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia is not invariably linked to long-term neurodevelopmental impairment.
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes in CDH survivors align with those of healthy peers by age three.
- This suggests that with appropriate care, most CDH survivors achieve typical development.
Objective:
To determine neurodevelopmental outcome in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) survivors during the first three years of life.
Methods:
Admitted CDH patients were assessed at the age of 12 (n=18) and 36 months (n=15) using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition. Neurodevelopmental results of CDH patients were compared with published norms and with a healthy matched control group.
Results:
At 12 months, receptive language was mildly delayed in 6% of patients and 6% of patients demonstrated mildly delay in expressive language and gross motor skills. Eighteen percent of CDH patients had severely delayed scores for gross motor skills. At 36 months, expressive language scores were mildly delayed in 21% of patients. When compared to the control group, CDH patients had similar neurodevelopmental scores at 12 and 36 months of age.
Conclusion:
CDH is not necessarily associated with impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes during the first three years of life.
Summary:
The aim of this study was to describe neurodevelopmental outcomes in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) survivors. At 12 months, three (18%) patients had severely delayed scores for gross motor skills. At 36 months, expressive language scores were mildly delayed in three (21%) patients. Neurodevelopmental outcomes of CDH patients were no different to healthy matched controls at 12 and 36 months.
