Does the Presence of a Hernia Sac Improve Survival in Newborns with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia? A United Kingdom Single-Center Experience.

Background:  A developing body of literature suggests that the presence of a hernia sac in fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) may indicate improved prognosis. By examining a large cohort of CDH newborns admitted to a single United Kingdom specialist center, we aimed to establish if presence of hernia sac is a robust predictor of improved survival.

Methods:  All CDH patients admitted to a single center were recruited. Postneonatal presentations and Morgagni hernias were excluded. Demographics, defect type, laterality, survival, and hernia recurrence were recorded.

Results:  In this study, 192 CDH newborns were managed from 1997 to 2017; 39 were excluded (10 Morgagni and 29 postneonatal); 22 (14%) neonates had a hernia sac. Survival in patients with a hernia sac was 21/22 (95%) versus 107/124 (86%) in cases without hernia sac (p = 0.2). There was no difference in hernia sac proportion by gender (male:female 15 vs. 13.2%, p = 0.8).

Conclusions:  In contrast to studies showing a survival advantage, albeit with smaller patient numbers, we report a statistical nonsignificant benefit of hernia sac. Better survival outcomes at this specialist center with CDH patients without a hernia sac than reported in other published studies are likely responsible for the lack of statistical significance observed, despite a larger cohort. National and international CDH registries yielding "big data" may provide further answers on the utility of a CDH hernia sac as a new prognostic scoring tool.