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Neurodevelopment of children born with gastroschisis: a scoping review

Pediatric Research (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

The neurodevelopment of children with gastroschisis may be affected by intrinsic (exposure of the abdominal viscera to the amniotic fluid, causing an inflammatory reaction) and extrinsic (pain, mobility restriction, hospitalization) factors. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the information available in the literature on the neurodevelopment of children born with this pathology. A scoping review was done, considering as outcomes the neurodevelopment in the motor, cognitive and language domains. A search was performed in the main databases using the term “gastroschisis”, associated with: “neurodevelopment”, “impairment”, “motor delay” and “language delay”. Articles in English, published in the last 10 years, were included; but those that addressed other pathologies were excluded. Eleven studies were included, mostly case series (n = 7), with samples ranging from 14 to 88 participants and ages ranging from 12 months to 10 years. The results were controversial, some reporting normal development, and others reporting deficiencies in all domains. Complex gastroschisis can be an additional risk for neurodevelopment delays. Gastroschisis is a relatively rare malformation, but the increased survival of these children stresses the relevance of investigating short- and long-term outcomes in relation to neurodevelopment to improve the care of this population.

Impact

  • This review provides a comprehensive update on neurodevelopment of children born with gastroschisis.

  • There is insufficient evidence to support or reject the idea that gastroschisis interferes negatively with neurodevelopment, but complex gastroschisis can be an additional risk for neurodevelopment delays in this population.

  • Prematurity and being born small-for-gestation-age are confounders factors on evaluation of neurodevelopment on children born with gastroschisis.

  • Additional studies to obtain sufficient information size, focusing on lowering bias risk, and with longer duration of analysis, are required.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Surgical NICU, Instituto Fernandes Figueira - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Bianca de Moraes Rego Martins

  2. Department of Neurofunctional Physiotherapy, Surgical NICU, Instituto Fernandes Figueira - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Nathalia Cristina Oliveira de Souza & Carla Trevisan Martins Ribeiro

  3. Clinical Research Unit, Instituto Fernandes Figueira - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Maria Dalva Barbosa Baker Méio & Fernanda Rebelo

Authors
  1. Bianca de Moraes Rego Martins
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  2. Nathalia Cristina Oliveira de Souza
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  3. Maria Dalva Barbosa Baker Méio
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  4. Fernanda Rebelo
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  5. Carla Trevisan Martins Ribeiro
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Contributions

M.D.B.M. designed the study. N.C.O.S. conducted the literature search. B.M.R.M. and N.C.O.S. analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of the paper. All authors contributed to the interpretation and the review of the paper and gave final approval to the version to be published.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bianca de Moraes Rego Martins.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Martins, B.d.M.R., Souza, N.C.O.d., Méio, M.D.B.B. et al. Neurodevelopment of children born with gastroschisis: a scoping review. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04139-1

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