Follow Up of Nutritional Status in Postoperative Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Patients

Background: Failure to thrive (FTT) is a common underlying condition in patients with Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The aim of current study was to evaluate nutritional status and growth pattern in CDH patients. Methods: In current study, we investigated a total of 146 CDH patients who had undergone surgery in Dr. Sheikh Hospital, Mashhad, Iran between April 2006 to November 2013. Due to inaccessibility or lack of cooperation by some parents, 61 cases completed the study. Demographic and anthropometric data along with postoperative complications were taken into consideration. Results: Among the 61 studied cases, 32.7% had died during the initial 6-months after surgery. The mean age of participants was 24.21 ± 30.26 months. According to Z-score classification of weight for height following surgery, 7.3% had severe malnutrition, 4.8% moderate malnutrition and 24.3% mild malnutrition while 51.2% were normal. While current evaluation indicates that the majority of subjects were in the normal range. Conclusion: Most children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia had a normal growth following surgery; however, few cases experienced a reduced growth rate in the early years of their life. Highlighting the need for additional calories to prevent FTT and other complications are recommended.