Neurocognitive outcomes in congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors: a cross-sectional prospective study.

Abstract Background/purpose Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) survivors may have persistent neurocognitive delays. We assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes in CDH survivors from infancy to late teenage years. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 37 CDH survivors to examine neurocognitive functioning. Overall cognitive score was tested with the early learning composite (ELC) of Mullen Scales of Early Learning ( n =19), and Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition ( n =18). Results ELC was 85.7±16.4, lower than the expected norm of 100, P =0.004, and 6 survivors had moderate, and 3 severe delay, which is not greater than expected in the general population ( P =0.148). FSIQ was 99.6±19.1, consistent with the expected norm of 100, P =0.922, and 3 survivors had moderate and 2 severe delay, which is greater than expected ( P =0.048). Although ELC was lower than FSIQ ( P =0.024), within each testing group overall cognitive ability was not associated with participant age (ELC, P =0.732; FSIQ, P =0.909). Longer hospital stay was the only factor found to be consistently associated with a worse cognitive score across all participants in our cohort. Conclusions A high percentage of survivors with CDH have moderate to severe cognitive impairment suggesting that these subjects warrant early testing with implementation of therapeutic and educational interventions.