Prematurity and fetal lung response after tracheal occlusion in fetuses with severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Objective: To evaluate the independent association of fetal pulmonary response and prematurity to postnatal outcomes after fetal tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Methods: Fetal pulmonary response, prematurity (<37 weeks at delivery) and extreme prematurity (<32 weeks at delivery) were evaluated and compared between survivors and non-survivors at 6 months of life. Multivariable analysis was conducted with generalized linear mixed models for variables significantly associated with survival in univariate analysis. Results: Eighty-four infants were included, of whom 40 survived (47.6%) and 44 died (52.4%). Univariate analysis demonstrated that survival was associated with greater lung response (p=0.006), and the absence of extreme preterm delivery (p=0.044). In multivariable analysis, greater pulmonary response after FETO was an independent predictor of survival (aOR 1.87, 95% CI 1.08–3.33, p=0.023), whereas the presence of extreme prematurity was not statistically associated with mortality after controlling for fetal pulmonary response (aOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.12–2.30, p=0.367). Conclusion: Fetal pulmonary response after FETO is the most important factor associated with survival, independently from the gestational age at delivery.