Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities and Congenital Heart Disease

Among all known birth defects, congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in infancy. In the United States, nearly 25% of children born with CHD will require surgery or treatment within their first year of life. Tremendous advances in surgical techniques and strategies have led to a dramatic increase in survival rates, even ≤90% in complex CHDs; today, most children born with CHD will reach adulthood. Lower mortality rates in CHD have resulted in a dramatic shift in current research efforts: from short-term survival to improving functional outcome and quality of life. It has become increasingly clear that children born with CHD have worse long-term neurological outcomes than their peers (Figure 1). Neuroimaging and psychological evaluations have identified strong associations between altered brain Congenital Heart Disease Compendium