Leontien Toussaint-Duyster

Erasmus MC | Erasmus MC · Department of Orthopedics, section of Physical Therapy

Background Exercise capacity in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is lower compared to healthy peers. We aimed to improve maximal exercise capacity using a combined lifestyle intervention in children with BPD. Methods This semi-cross-over randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a combined intervention of high-intensity...

Trunk motor control is essential for the proper functioning of the upper extremities and is an important predictor of gait capacity in children with delayed development. Early diagnosis and intervention could increase the trunk motor capabilities in later life, but current tools used to assess the level of trunk motor control are largely subjective...

Background: Immobility during hospital stay is associated with muscle weakness, delirium, and delayed neurocognitive recovery. Early mobilization of critically ill adults improves their physical functioning and shortens the duration of mechanical ventilation. However, comparable research in children is lacking. Aims: To determine the effects of...

Background: Although the survival rate of esophageal atresia (EA) has increased to over 90%, the risk of functional long-term neurodevelopmental deficits is uncertain. Studies on long-term outcomes of children with EA show conflicting results. Therefore, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of...

Aim: As nowadays more children survive neonatal critical illness, evaluation of long-term morbidities becomes more important. We determined whether the parent-reported Movement-Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) Checklist is a proper tool to screen for motor problems in school-aged children born with severe anatomical anomal...

Exercise capacity deteriorates in school‐aged children born with major anatomical foregut anomalies and/or treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether exercise capacity can be improved in the short‐term and long‐term in children born with anatomical foregut anomalies and/or treated with ext...

Objective Children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are at risk for pulmonary morbidity. Data on longitudinal evaluation of lung function in CDH are scarce. We hypothesized that CDH patients would have impaired lung function that worsens over time. We evaluated lung function and its determinants at ages 8 and 12 years. Methods Dynamic an...

Objective Children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) suffer from long‐term pulmonary morbidity. Longitudinal data of exercise capacity in these children are lacking. We hypothesized that exercise capacity would be impaired in children with CDH and deteriorates over time. We evaluated exercise capacity and its determinants in CDH patients l...

Background and objective: Fatigue and physical impairments are a major concern in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) and after acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (post-ADEM). We here aimed to evaluate the interaction between fatigue, exercise capacity, motor performance, neurological status, and quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: In this cro...

Background and aims: Data on long-term outcome of exercise capacity in school-aged children with esophageal atresia (EA) are scarce. We evaluated maximal exercise capacity and its relation to lung function. Moreover, we studied other possible determinants of exercise capacity and lung function. Methods: Exercise capacity of 63 children with EA b...

OBJECTIVE: To assess perceived motor competence, social competence, self-worth, health-related quality of life, and actual motor performancein 8-year-old survivors of neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). METHODS: In a prospective nationwide study, 135 children completed the extended version of the "athletic competence" domain of the...

Survival rates in oesophageal atresia patients have reached over 90%. In long-term follow-up studies the focus has shifted from purely surgical or gastrointestinal evaluation to a multidisciplinary approach. We reviewed the literature on the long-term morbidity of these patients and discuss mainly issues of physical growth and neurodevelopment. We...

Objective To evaluate developmental and social-emotional outcomes at 8 years of age for children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), treated with or without neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) between January 1999 and December 2003. Design Cohort study with structural prospective follow-up. Setting Level III University Hospi...