PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Congenital heart defects affects long-term developmental outcome

2013-12-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Bea Latal
bea.latal@kispi.uzh.ch
41-442-667-751
University of Zurich
Congenital heart defects affects long-term developmental outcome Approximately one percent of all newborns in Switzerland are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, roughly half of them require open heart surgery. Most children, including those with the most severe heart defects, survive because of the significant advancements in surgical techniques. Therefore, the current research focuses less on survival than on long-term consequences and quality of life of these children.

Aside from cardiac complications, developmental problems may emerge after a complex cardiac surgical procedure. Children may suffer from motor, language or learning difficulties. The etiology of these problems is multifactorial and the association with the surgical procedure, which affects systemic circulation and can impair cerebral blood flow, is not clear. For the first time, researchers from the Children's Hospital Zurich demonstrate that morphological changes of the brain can be detected many years after open-heart surgery and can have a long-term impact on brain development. However, the researchers also discovered that brain changes may already exist before the cardiac surgery. This indicates that the neurological risks associated with the cardiac surgery itself are smaller than previously believed.

Smaller brain volume with severe heart defects Under the supervision of the pediatrician Bea Latal, the postdoctoral student Michael von Rhein studied a group of 39 14-year-old congenital heart patients who had undergone open-heart surgery during early childhood in the late 1990s. The adolescents underwent extensive testing of cognitive and motor skills and the brain volume as well as specific brain regions, were measured using cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. "It became evident that these former cardiac patients had around 10 percent less brain volume than healthy young people," explains von Rhein. Patients with severe congenital heart defects were most affected by this volume loss.

The researchers were also able to demonstrate that adolescents with congenital heart defects were more likely to exhibit learning and motor difficulties than healthy control people.

These difficulties were more pronounced in those with smaller brain volumes. Despite these difficulties, however, most of adolescent patients were able to attend regular school and their quality of life was not impaired.

In another, recently published study, the developmental pediatrician Bea Latal and pediatric cardiologist Walter Knirsch from the Children's Hospital Zurich revealed that the development of children with a congenital heart defect can be delayed prior to surgery and that mild cerebral changes can occur- long before the life-saving heart surgery is performed. "Evidently, the changes in the brain that are detectable at such an early time persist and may influence further development into adolescence," concludes Latal from the results of the study.

### Literature: M. von Rhein, A. Buchmann, R. Huber, P. Klaver, C. Hagmann, W. Knirsch, B. Latal. Smaller brain volume correlates with neurodevelopmental function in adolescents after bypass repair for congenital heart disease. Brain, November 25th 2013, doi:10.1093/brain/awt322

S. Bertholdt, B. Latal, R. Liamlahia, I. Scheer, R. Prêtre, R. Goetti, H. Dave, V. Bernet, A. Schmitz, M. von Rhein, W. Knirsch, and the Research Group Heart and Brain. Cerebral lesions on MRI correlate with preoperative neurological status in neonates undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 2013, doi:10.1093/ejcts/ezt422

C. Schaefer, M. von Rhein, W. Knirsch, R. Huber, G. Natalucci, J. Caflisch, M. Landolt, B. Latal B. Neurodevelopmental outcome, behavior and quality of life in adolescents with congenital heart disease. Dev Med Child Neuro. 2013, doi: 10.1111/dmcn.12242

Background The currently published studies are part of the interdisciplinary research group "Heart and Brain" at the University Children's Hospital Zurich. In this group, clinical and basic scientists combine their efforts to better understand the causes, course and treatment of developmental disorders in children with congenital heart disease. The aim is to optimize care for these children and their families, identify potential risk factors and provide early therapeutic interventions. In combination with the very good surgical and perioperative care, these findings will hopefully allow children with congenital heart defects to lead a normal life.

Contacts: PD Dr. med. Beatrice Latal
Child Development Center
Children's Hospital Zurich
Tel. +41 44 266 77 51
E-Mail: bea.latal@kispi.uzh.ch


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New research shows obesity is an inflammatory disease

2013-12-02
New research shows obesity is an inflammatory disease New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that an abnormal amount of an inflammatory protein called PAR2 is present on abdominal fat tissues of overweight and obese humans and ...

EASAC report warns Europe on extreme weather event increase

2013-12-02
EASAC report warns Europe on extreme weather event increase First comprehensive survey shows 60 percent rise over last 30 years of floods, droughts and storms Europe needs to plan for future probabilities of extreme weather. Heat waves, ...

Athletes and the words for actions

2013-12-02
Athletes and the words for actions A study investigates the role of the motor system in conceptualization Is it true, as some scientists believe, that to understand words like "spike" (in the volleyball sense) the brain has to "mentally" ...

IQWiG publishes new version of its General Methods

2013-12-02
IQWiG publishes new version of its General Methods Procedure for report production and section on meta-analyses updated / New sections on early benefit assessment The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) ...

Detailed image shows how genomes are copied

2013-12-02
Detailed image shows how genomes are copied For the first time, researchers at Umeå University have succeeded in showing how the DNA polymerase epsilon enzyme builds new genomes. The detailed image produced by these researchers shows how ...

The importance of standardizing drug screening studies

2013-12-02
The importance of standardizing drug screening studies An IRCM researcher sheds light on inconsistencies between large pharmacogenomic studies Montréal, December 2, 2013 – A bioinformatics expert at the IRCM, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, recently ...

Nanorobot for transporting drugs in the body

2013-12-02
Nanorobot for transporting drugs in the body A nanorobot is a popular term for molecules with a unique property that enables them to be programmed to carry out a specific task. In collaboration with colleagues in Italy and the USA, researchers at Aarhus University have ...

New report illustrates persistent global burden of anemia among high-risk populations

2013-12-02
New report illustrates persistent global burden of anemia among high-risk populations (WASHINGTON, December 2, 2013) – Despite increasing efforts to diagnose and treat anemia worldwide, there remains a surprisingly large global burden of the disease, particularly ...

Researchers unlock a new means of growing intestinal stem cells

2013-12-02
Researchers unlock a new means of growing intestinal stem cells Studying these cells could lead to new treatments for diseases ranging from gastrointestinal disease to diabetes CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have shown ...

Mice can inherit learned sensitivity to a smell

2013-12-02
Mice can inherit learned sensitivity to a smell Trauma can scar people so indelibly that their children are affected. History provides examples of generations traumatized by war and starvation, whose children experience altered physiology. Now researchers at Yerkes ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance

Moffitt researchers develop machine learning model to predict urgent care visits for lung cancer patients

Construction secrets of honeybees: Study reveals how bees build hives in tricky spots

Wheat disease losses total $2.9 billion across the United States and Canada between 2018 and 2021

New funding fuels development of first potentially regenerative treatment for multiple sclerosis

NJIT student–faculty team wins best presentation award for ant swarm simulation

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

When the wireless data runs dry

Inquiry into the history of science shows an early “inherence” bias

Picky eaters endure: Ecologists use DNA to explore diet breadth of wild herbivores

Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time

Increasing the level of the protein PI31 demonstrates neuroprotective effects in mice

Multi-energy X-ray curved surface imaging-with multi-layer in-situ grown scintillators

Metasurface enables compact and high-sensitivity atomic magnetometer

PFAS presence confirmed in the blood of children in Gipuzkoa

Why do people believe lies?

SwRI installs private 5G network for research, development, testing and evaluation

A new perspective in bone metabolism: Targeting the lysosome–iron–mitochondria axis for osteoclast regulation

Few military spouses use formal support services during, after deployment

Breakthrough in the hunt for light dark matter: QROCODILE project reveals world-leading constraints

2D x-ray imaging technique reveals hidden processes in CO2 electrolyzers

Rational high entropy doping strategy via modular in-situ/post solvothermal doping integration for microwave absorption

Circular Economy has been officially included in the ESCI

Recent advances in exciton-polariton in perovskite

Efficacy and safety of GLP-1 RAs in children and adolescents with obesity or type 2 diabetes

Over-the-counter sales of overdose reversal drug naloxone decline after initial surge

Global trends and disparities in social isolation

Country of birth, race, ethnicity, and prenatal depression

Kissick Family Foundation, Milken Institute announce $2 million in funding for frontotemporal dementia research and new call for proposals

Mayo Clinic study reveals hidden causes of heart attacks in younger adults, especially women

[Press-News.org] Congenital heart defects affects long-term developmental outcome