Long-term outcome of 51 liveborn neonates with non-immune hydrops fetalis.
To search for an efficient method of management of non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF), the clinical outcome of 51 newborns with NIHF was retrospectively assessed in a single centre. As the short-term outcome, the mortality rate was mainly dependent on the causes of NIHF and the presence of pleural effusion. The survival rate of the patients with pleural effusion (7/28; 25%) was significantly lower than that of those without it (14/23; 61%) (p < 0.02). All 7 survivors with pleural effusion were diagnosed antenatally after 29 weeks of gestation and were delivered after 31 weeks of gestation. With respect to the long-term outcome, 13 (68.4%) of 19 patients who survived beyond 1 y of age showed normal development, 2 mild developmental delay at 1 y of age and 1 mental retardation at 8 y of age, while 3 (15.8%) had severe psychomotor retardation with marked growth failure. Two of these three patients were born as very-low-birthweight infants. The follow-up results indicate that pleural drainage in utero and prevention of premature delivery should be proposed to improve the outcome of NIHF patients.
Nakayama
H
H
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Kukita
J
J
Hikino
S
S
Nakano
H
H
Hara
T
T
D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000150:complications; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis