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Published on: January 12, 2019

Motor and cognitive outcomes in pediatric intestinal failure: A longitudinal cohort study

Anna Gold1,2,3, Catherine Patterson2,4,5, Christina Belza2

  • 1Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada.

Intestinal Failure (New York, N.Y.)
|July 6, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Children with intestinal failure (IF) show developmental vulnerabilities in infancy and preschool, but improve by school age. Key risk factors identified can help tailor interventions for better neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric gastroenterology
  • Neurodevelopmental pediatrics
  • Longitudinal cohort studies

Background:

  • Improved survival in pediatric intestinal failure (IF) highlights the need to understand neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Previous research indicates a higher risk of developmental delay in children with IF.
  • This study offers a novel longitudinal examination of motor and cognitive development in IF patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally assess motor and cognitive outcomes in children with intestinal failure from infancy to early school age.
  • To identify risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental trajectories in this population.
  • To inform targeted interventions for mitigating developmental risks.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of children diagnosed with IF before 4 months of age.
  • Motor and cognitive assessments conducted at multiple corrected age (CA) time points: 4-15 months, 12-32 months, and 4-8 years.
  • Statistical analysis using linear mixed-effects models to identify predictors of developmental outcomes.

Main Results:

  • The cohort (n=41) had a median gestational age of 33 weeks; 12% had central nervous system (CNS) comorbidities.
  • Gross motor skills were below average in preschool but improved by school age.
  • Fine motor and cognitive scores declined between 12-15 months CA and 26-32 months CA, despite average scores at school age.
  • Risk factors for poorer outcomes included lower birth weight, early motor delay, CNS comorbidities, auditory impairment, NEC, surgeries, sepsis, and prolonged hospitalization.

Conclusions:

  • Children with intestinal failure experience developmental vulnerabilities in early childhood.
  • Significant motor and cognitive improvements are possible by early school age.
  • Identifying specific risk factors allows for targeted interventions to improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
cognitionmotor skillsneurodevelopmental outcomespediatric intestinal failure

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