Neurocognitive outcome in pediatric liver transplant recipients

Studies have shown that children with liver transplants demonstrate deficits on intellectual, academic, and language measures. However, limited information is known about the long-term cognitive development of these children. In this study, 15 children who were at least 2 yr post-liver transplantation (LT) were compared on cognitive measures to an equated group of 15 children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Children with CF were selected as a clinical control given similarities in disease onset and chronicity, as well as physical growth and development. Results indicated that children with LT tended to have lower verbal intelligence quotient scores and performed significantly lower than CF children on language measures, particularly on receptive language tasks. No significant differences were obtained on measures of academic achievement or visual-spatial performance. In the LT group, days in the intensive care unit, total number of days spent in the hospital during the first year following the transplant, and elevated pretransplant bilirubin levels significantly predicted the speech and language delays.