Electroencephalographic and neurodevelopmental disorders in severe congenital heart disease: A follow-up study]

Congenital heart defects are the most common malformations at birth. Due to the fact that the developmental windows at early stages close rapidly, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of congenital heart defects on the central nervous system at short and medium terms after applying traditional and quantitative electroencephalography techniques and a test of neurodevelopment. Twenty-one patients (8-27 months, (x) over dot = 14.8) with severe congenital heart defects who had been studied previously, and a control group of 19 healthy children (8-29 months, (x) over dot = 14.6) were included. In all of them traditional electroencephalography, quantitative electroencephalography, and a test of neurodevelopment were performed. The results between groups (control vs. congenital heart defects) and between congenital heart defects (previous vs. present) were compared. In the second evaluation, congenital heart defect children maintained abnormal quantitative and traditional electroencephalography recordings. Comparing quantitative electroencephalography among congenital heart defects (previous vs. present) and between controls and congenital heart defects, significant differences of theta band activity in frontal, central, and temporal leads were found (p < 0.05). Upon assessing neurodevelopment, 86% of the previously studied congenital heart defect cases kept the same diagnosis of abnormality, of which mild-to-moderate hypotone was the most frequently observed. As hypothesized, congenital heart defect diseases have a very important impact on central nervous system function as determined by neurodevelopmental testing and traditional and quantitative electroencephalography recordings. The alterations observed persisted throughout the period studied.