Long-term outlook for survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

CDH patients are critically ill but can expect excellent survival if other serious anomalies are not present; however, significant long-term morbidities exist in the survivors. The most notable of these are developmental delay, poor growth, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hearing loss, and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Patients require careful long-term follow-up for these problems, and caregivers must continue to critically evaluate their medical interventions in the neonatal period to try to minimize these morbidities.