J Pediatr Surg
. 2026 Jan 28:162961.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2026.162961. Online ahead of print. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41617074/
Pediatric quality of life post congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Cesar Kattini 1, Andreea C Damian 2, Ashley Lessard 1, Lamia Hayawi 3, Vid Bijelić 3, Ahmed Nasr 4
Affiliations Expand
- PMID: 41617074
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2026.162961
Abstract
Purpose: Provide a quantitative summary of parent- and child-reported quality of life (QoL) outcomes in children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).
Methods: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Embase databases from inception to October 25, 2024. Studies that examined child and parent-reported quality of life outcomes in pediatric patients with CDH were included. Screening and data extraction was conducted by two reviewers. The primary outcome was the reported overall QoL, and the secondary outcomes included QoL of physical, emotional, social, psychosocial, and school functioning domains. A random effects meta-analysis were performed.
Results: A total of 313 articles were screened, and thirteen studies were included. Pooled parent-reported QoL mean estimates were higher in the domains of social and physical functioning, with lower scores observed in emotional, school, and psychosocial functioning. A similar pattern was observed in child-reported QoL scores. The total QoL score reported by parents was 85.10 [82.12; 88.09], compared to 79.19 [76.78; 81.60] as reported by children. The meta-analysis showed that QoL scores were significantly lower for patients with CDH compared to controls in the physical health domain and total score, with mean differences of -6.81 [-10.37; -3.25] and -5.07 [-9.96; -0.18], respectively.
Conclusion: Children with CDH have higher QoL scores in social and physical functioning, with lower scores in emotional, school, and psychosocial functioning. However, they demonstrate overall lower QoL compared to healthy controls. These aspects should be emphasized when counseling the parents of these patients.
Level of evidence: V.
Keywords: Children; Congenital diaphragmatic hernia; Meta-analysis; Pediatric outcomes; Quality of life; Systematic review.
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