Mild CHD toddlers show cortical gray matter reductions similar to moderate-severe disease

Toddlers with mild congenital heart disease (CHD) showed cortical gray matter volume and thickness reductions similar to moderate-to-severe CHD in a cross-sectional MRI study of 109 CHD and 56 healthy children (p<0.001 corrected). Alterations correlated with poorer motor and ada…

• Cross-sectional study included 109 CHD toddlers (mild, moderate, severe) and 56 healthy controls, all underwent brain MRI with volumetric and cortical thickness analysis.
• Hemoglobin levels were associated with cortical thickness in the right superior frontal area (β=0.422, p_fwe=0.021, 95% CI 0.002-0.007).
• Cross-sectional design precludes causal conclusions; modest sample size and single-center setting may limit generalizability.

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