A Dive into the Wondrous World of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The research described in this thesis addressed several aspects of the management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) after the introduction of a standardized neonatal treatment protocol. Most studies involved multicentre collaborative efforts of members of the CDH EURO Consortium. This is a collaboration between tertiary European centres with an expertise in CDH.
Part II focusses on clinical parameters and biomarkers with a potential predictive role. In part III different aspects of the treatment of CDH patients are described, including findings of a randomized clinical trial on initial ventilation strategy. Part IV studies the neurodevelopmental outcome in high-risk CDH infants at the ages of one and two years. In Part V the influences of patient characteristics and center specific differences are evaluated with respect to outcome.