Neuromarkers which can predict neurodevelopmental impairment among children with congenital heart defects after cardiac surgery: A systematic literature review

ABSTRACT

The aim of this systematic literature review was to assess the data regarding neuromarkers used to evaluate the impact of cardiovascular surgery on neurodevelopmental pattern of children with congenital heart defects. A systematic search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Out of 713 publications screened, 10 studies (471 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The included studies were coded on several variables: number and heterogeneity of patients (age, congenital heart defects), exclusion of patients with conditions that predispose to neurological impairment, neuroimaging workup pre- and post-surgery, neurodevelopmental assessment, interventions (part of a different study), and follow-up period. Results were reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Findings include: neuron-specific enolase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor are not reliable neuromarkers, for protein S100B different results were reported, for activin A there is lack of evidence, and glial fibrillary acidic protein could represent a reliable neuromarker for acute brain-injury. Directions for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Congenital heart defect
• S100 protein
• neuron-specific enolase
• glial fibrillary acidic protein
• brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the papers.

Ethics Committee Approval

Ethics approval was obtained from the Committee of George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania (document number 1161 form 10/26/2020).

Author Contribution

Lacramioara Eliza Chiperi conception and design of the work; acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data for the work; drafting the manuscript; approval of the final manuscript; accountable for all aspects of the work; obtained fundings; gathered materials for the work; collected data and processed it; responsible for the analysis and interpretation of data; review the literature; wrote the manuscript.

Cristina Tecar contributed to the conception of the work; critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; approval of the final manuscript; accountable for all aspects of the work; supervised the work; critical reviewed the manuscript.

Rodica Toganel contributed to the conception of the work; critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; approval of the final manuscript; accountable for all aspects of the work; involved in fundings.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, under Grant Number 510/3/17.01.2022. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.