Follow-up of the survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2011.08.025
• Publication Date: 2011-09-24T02:35:58Z
• Authors: Gustavo Rocha; Inês Azevedo; Jorge Correia Pinto; Hercília Guimarães
• Keywords: Male; Gastrointestinal; Adolescent; Developmental Disabilities; Congenital diaphragmatic hernia; 03 medical and health sciences; Postoperative Complications; 0302 clinical medicine; Humans; Survivors; Child; Hernia, Diaphragmatic; Science & Technology; Follow-up; Infant, Newborn; Infant; 3. Good health; Treatment Outcome; Musculoskeletal; Child, Preschool; Neurodevelopmental; Female; Morbidity; Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; Follow-Up Studies

Survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia have increased with the introduction of new treatment modalities and have been reported to experience ongoing medical morbidity until adulthood.To describe the long-term functional impact of congenital diaphragmatic repair on the survivors of a single institution cohort of newborns over a 14-year period.The follow up medical charts of 39 congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors treated at a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit, from January 1997 to December 2010, were analyzed.The median age at follow up was 70 (4-162) months. Gastrointestinal sequelae were the most common with 12 (30.7%) patients affected by failure to thrive. Chronic lung disease occurred in 5 (12.8%) patients, neurodevelopmental delay in 5 (12.8%), musculoskeletal sequelae in 6 (15.3%), recurrence of hernia in 4 (10.2%) and 2 (7.6%) were deceased.Congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors are a group of patients that requires long term periodic follow up in a multidisciplinary setting to provide adequate support and improve their quality of life.