Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42809062›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of pediatrics2026

Preoperative brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in syndromic and non-syndromic children with complex congenital heart disease: a single-centre cohort study.

Chiara Paolin, Alice Pozza, Claudio Ancona, Laura Mezzalira, Paola Cogo, Giovanni Di Salvo, Massimo Padalino, Fabio Scattolin, Vladimiro Vida, Stefano Sartori and 1 more

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Article in European journal of pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chiara Paolin *Paediatric Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy. chiara.paolin@gmail.com.
Alice Pozza *Paediatric Cardiology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Claudio AnconaPaediatric Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Laura MezzaliraSchool of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Paola CogoDepartment of Medical Area, DAME - Division of Paediatrics, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
Giovanni Di SalvoPaediatric Cardiology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Massimo PadalinoPaediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
Fabio ScattolinPaediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Vladimiro VidaPaediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Stefano SartoriPaediatric Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Renzo ManaraNeuroradiology, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are at high risk of brain lesions both before and after cardiac surgery. Preoperative brain injury reflects foetal and perinatal brain development and represents an independent predictor of neurodevelopmental outcome. This study aimed to characterize preoperative brain lesions and their correlation with clinical course and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with complex CHD. The secondary objective was to compare findings between syndromic and non-syndromic patients, as preoperative brain injury in syndromic children remains underreported. A single-centre cohort study was performed at the University of Padova, Italy, involving children with complex CHD who underwent preoperative brain MRI between January 2020 and October 2024. Patients were categorized based on the presence or absence of a known or suspected genetic syndrome. Neurological and neurodevelopmental evaluations were conducted pre- and postoperatively, and at 6- and 18-months follow-up. Among 54 enrolled patients, 21 (39%) had a suspected or confirmed genetic syndrome. Preoperative brain lesions were present in 24 children (44%), including 16/33 (48%) non-syndromic and 8/21 (38%) syndromic patients (OR 0.65 [0.21-1.94], p = 0.5708). Arterial ischemic stroke was the most common lesion (20%), followed by subdural haemorrhage (11%), cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (9%), and white matter injury (6%). Despite similar lesion rates, syndromic children showed more complicated perinatal histories and greater neurodevelopmental impairment, particularly in motor and language domains.

conclusionSyndromic children with CHD do not have higher rates of preoperative brain injury but remain at greater neurodevelopmental risk. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are at high risk for preoperative brain injury and neurodevelopmental impairment. • Syndromic children with CHD are often excluded from neurodevelopmental studies. WHAT IS NEW: • Preoperative brain lesions (44%), mainly arterial ischemic stroke (20%), are frequent in our cohort of syndromic and non-syndromic children with complex CHD. • Syndromic children with CHD do not show increased rates of preoperative brain injury compared to non-syndromic children, but remain a population at higher neurodevelopmental risk.

Indexed as

Brain InjuriesHeart Defects, CongenitalNeurodevelopmental DisordersChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansInfantItalyMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleNeurodevelopmentPreoperative PeriodSyndromeBrain magnetic resonanceCongenital heart diseaseNeurodevelopmentSyndromic children

Identifiers

PMID42809062
PMCPMC13623767

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.