Prospectively assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes in studies of anaesthetic neurotoxicity in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Whether exposure to a single general anaesthetic (GA) in early childhood causes long-term neurodevelopmental problems remains unclear. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2019. Studies evaluating neurodevelopmental outcomes and prospectively enrolling children exposed to a single GA procedure compared with unexposed children were identified. Outcomes common to at least three studies were evaluated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ); the parentally reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total, externalising, and internalising problems scores; an..