| Popis: |
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common malformation in humans. The psychomotor development of children with CHD has been shown to be delayed in many aspects throughout adulthood. Many of these delays in brain maturation are evident as early as in the fetal period and often result in brain injury and developmental delays consistent with children born prematurely. Anatomic abnormalities in the most severe CHD disorders, transposition of the great arteries and hypoplastic left heart syndrome, require early surgical interventions to improve the cardiac function, thus subsequently improving blood flow to the brain. Despite improvements in intraoperative monitoring and postoperative care, stroke, white matter injury, cerebral sinovenous thrombosis, subdural hemorrhage, and symptomatic seizures associated with acute brain injury remain common. With increased use of neuroimaging in infants with CHD, we are gaining a greater understanding of the factors that contribute to the developmental impairments seen later in childhood. Furthermore, advanced neuroimaging techniques with diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging provide avenues for future investigation of the brain in children with CHD. Although many factors contribute to the outcomes of children with CHD, we continue to search for more neuroprotective and neural recovery treatments that improve the lifelong functioning of these children. |
