Long-term growth of children with congenital heart disease: a retrospective study

This retrospective study evaluates long-term growth of children with congen ital heart disease (CHD) and looks for possible relationships between posts urgical catch-up growth and both severity of preoperative growth failure an d operation age. Growth data of 123 children with isolated CHD were availab le. Mean z-scores and 95% confidence intervals for weight, height and weigh t-for-height were plotted for age-periods as well as for pre- and postopera tive periods. Growth of children with a large VSD or a Tetralogy of Fallot was most abnormal and improved but did not normalize after operation. Catch -up growth for length was strongly correlated with severity of the preopera tive growth failure (r = 0.92, p < 0.05) but not with operation age (r = 0. 20, NS). We conclude that surgical correction results in catch-up growth fo r most individuals. Catch-up growth is positively correlated with the sever ity of the initial growth disturbance and not with age at the moment of sur gical correction.