Sammanfattning
Objectives: To clarify the mortality rate and results of surgical treatment in children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) born in Western Denmark. Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study of all live-born infants with CDH born in Western Denmark between 1995 and 2005. The cohort enrolled 82 children, which was divided into two groups, before and after 1998, when the multidisciplinary treatment centre at Odense University Hospital (OUH) was established. Results: The overall mortality between 1998 and 2005 was 23%, which was significantly lower than between 1995 and 1998, when it was 67%. The frequency of vaginal delivery, treatment with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFO) and inotropic medications was higher in the second period, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no access to extra corporal membranous oxygenation (ECMO). Postoperative complications were registered in half of the children. Three children were re-operated due to recurrence of the hernia. Conclusion: The overall mortality rate in live-born children with CDH was 23% in the setting of a multidisciplinary treatment centre, which was similar to that reported by other centres. In cases with prenatally diagnosed CDH, delivery in a multidisciplinary treatment centre is recommended.