Neurodevelopment of children born with gastroschisis: a scoping review.

Abstract

The neurodevelopment of children with gastroschisis may be affected by intrinsic (exposure of the abdominal viscera to the amniotic fluid, causing an inflammatory reaction) and extrinsic (pain, mobility restriction, hospitalization) factors. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the information available in the literature on the neurodevelopment of children born with this pathology. A scoping review was done, considering as outcomes the neurodevelopment in the motor, cognitive and language domains. A search was performed in the main databases using the term "gastroschisis", associated with: "neurodevelopment", "impairment", "motor delay" and "language delay". Articles in English, published in the last 10 years, were included; but those that addressed other pathologies were excluded. Eleven studies were included, mostly case series (n = 7), with samples ranging from 14 to 88 participants and ages ranging from 12 months to 10 years. The results were controversial, some reporting normal development, and others reporting deficiencies in all domains. Complex gastroschisis can be an additional risk for neurodevelopment delays. Gastroschisis is a relatively rare malformation, but the increased survival of these children stresses the relevance of investigating short- and long-term outcomes in relation to neurodevelopment to improve the care of this population. IMPACT: This review provides a comprehensive update on neurodevelopment of children born with gastroschisis. There is insufficient evidence to support or reject the idea that gastroschisis interferes negatively with neurodevelopment, but complex gastroschisis can be an additional risk for neurodevelopment delays in this population. Prematurity and being born small-for-gestation-age are confounders factors on evaluation of neurodevelopment on children born with gastroschisis. Additional studies to obtain sufficient information size, focusing on lowering bias risk, and with longer duration of analysis, are required.