ECHO-CDH - Exploratory Observational Prospective Study in Neonatal and Pediatric Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The principal investigator hypothesize that CDH newborns have disturbed cardiac performance and increased pulmonary pressures during neonatal life and at different pediatric ages. The principal investigator also postulate that those with decreased cardiac performance by STE and/or with PH have higher concomitant neonatal or pediatric morbidities and altered neurodevelopmental profile, that CDH patients have some remaining degree of LV hypoplasia at pediatric/adolescent age and that novel echocardiography techniques will detect anomalies not uncovered by conventional imaging.

This study is a prospective study. Cohorts will be simultaneously recruited at different neonatal and pediatric ages to create various age groups of the CDH populations.

Groups will be synchronized with the current follow-up programs to ease feasibility.

Patient Population will be CDH patients admitted to the NICU at the MCH or followed in the clinic. Patients will be recruited during hospitalization or at the different age groups corresponding to their regular CDH follow-up.

Echocardiography will be targeted to acquire: RV and LV function by STE, 3D derived RV/LV volumes and performance , conventional systolic/diastolic RV and LV function parameters (such as: ejection fraction by Simpson's Biplane, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and tissue Doppler velocities), cardiac outputs and pulmonary pressure estimates. For patient's safety, responsible clinician will be alerted when a clinically significant anomaly is detected on the research echocardiography. Same echocardiography protocol will be applied to controls.