Impaired motor performance in adolescents with esophageal atresia

Aims The study prospectively assessed motor development from infancy to adolescence in patients with esophageal atresia (EA). Methods At one year of age motor performance was evaluated with the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II), and as adolescents reevaluated with Motor Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2). Associations to clinical factors were assessed. Results 23 EA patients were followed from infancy to adolescence. The median total PDI score in infancy was 102 (56–118) and the corresponding mean z-score was −0.006 (SD 0.995) and not significantly different from the reference values (p = 0.48). The median total MABC-2 score in adolescence was 75 (32–93) and the corresponding mean z-score −0.43 (SD 0.998) which is significantly below normal (p = 0.03). Children with impaired motor function in adolescence underwent significantly more rethoracotomies than those with normal motor performance (p = 0.037); whereas the two groups did not differ with respect to other clinical characteristics. Conclusion From infancy to adolescence the motor performance in the group of EA patients deteriorated from within normal range to significantly impaired compared to reference values. Interdisciplinary follow-up programs from infancy to adolescence with close monitoring for motor function is necessary to detect motor impairments.