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[Growth in 48 children with ventricular septal defect successfully repaired (author's transl)]
Insights
Early surgical repair of ventricular septal defects (VSD) significantly improves growth outcomes. Infants undergoing VSD repair before age two show near-normal final height, highlighting the importance of timely intervention for optimal childhood development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Developmental Biology
Context:
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart defect.
- Subnormal growth is often observed in children with VSD prior to surgical repair.
- Previous studies have indicated varied growth outcomes post-VSD correction.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the impact of surgical VSD repair on the growth status of children.
- To determine if the timing of VSD repair influences long-term growth outcomes.
- To identify factors affecting growth post-VSD surgery.
Summary:
- This study assessed growth in 48 children after VSD repair, with a mean follow-up of 3.5 years.
- Pre-surgery, height and weight were subnormal, correlating with VSD severity.
- Surgical repair led to significant weight gain; younger children (repaired before age two) achieved near-normal final height, while older children showed less improvement.
Impact:
- Early surgical intervention for VSD, particularly in infancy, offers the best prognosis for achieving normal growth trajectories.
- Delayed repair (after age two) may limit catch-up growth, especially for height.
- Understanding these growth patterns aids in optimizing management strategies for pediatric VSD patients.
Abstract:
Growth status was studied in 48 children with simple and severe ventricular septal defect successfully repaired. The average follow-up post surgery was 3.5 years (range, two-seven years). Children with birth weight less of 2,500 g. and extracardiac anomalies or chromosomal syndromes were excluded. Measurements before surgical treatment revealed height and weight status to be subnormal and related to physiological severity. However lowest weight score was found in youngest patients and height score are uniformly affected in both group ages. Surgical repair resulted in significant weight gain in all groups. Final height in the youngest age groups is near normal levels. However in the group of children repaired after age of two years the changes in height were not statistically significant. No change in the subnormal growth pattern was noted in five children (10.4%). Surgery of large and severe ventricular septal defect in very early infancy offers the best prospect for growth.