Prognostic value of a hernia sac in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prognostic value of a hernia sac in isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

METHODS

Our database was searched to identify all consecutive cases of CDH referred to our fetal medicine unit between January 2004 and August 2011. Presence or absence of a hernia sac was assessed in liveborn cases using surgery or postnatal autopsy reports. We studied the correlation between the presence of a hernia sac and prenatal findings and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

RESULTS

Over the study period, there were 70 cases with isolated CDH born alive in which either a surgery or autopsy report was available. Neonatal death, either preoperative or postoperative, occurred in 1/18 (5.6%) infants with a hernia sac and in 17/52 (32.7%) cases without a hernia sac (P = 0.03). Patients with a hernia sac had a significantly higher observed to expected pulmonary volume on prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (51.9 vs 39.3%, P = 0.01). Neonatal morbidity in surviving infants was lower in the group with a hernia sac, although not significantly.

CONCLUSION

The presence of a hernia sac is associated with a higher pulmonary volume and a better overall prognosis for CDH.