Operative repair in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: How long do we really need to wait?
Following the earliest reports of neonatal repair in the 1940′s, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) was considered one of the true surgical emergencies in the newborn and early repair was promoted [1]. However, delayed operative repair became more common as pre-operative stabilization with later intervention improved the deterioration in lung compliance and oxygenation often seen with early repair [2,3]. Several reports, including two small randomized trials, did not suggest a survival benefit with immediate versus delayed repair [4–11].