Cerebral microhemorrhages in children with congenital heart disease: Prevalence, risk factors, and impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Kristen Nicole AndersenSicong YaoBrian R WhiteMarin JacobwitzJake BreimannJharna JahnaviAlexander SchmidtWesley B BakerTiffany S KoJ William GaynorArastoo VossoughRui XiaoDaniel J LichtEvelyn K ShihPublished in: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences (2023)
CMH is a common imaging finding in infants with CHD with increased prevalence and severity after CPB and adverse impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes starting at a young age. Longer duration of CPB and need for postoperative ECMO were the most significant risk factors for developing CMH. However, presence of CMH on preoperative scans indicates non-surgical risk factors that are yet to be identified. Neuroprotective strategies to mitigate risk factors for CMH may improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in this vulnerable population.