• Al-FarsiFaris Abdullah HamedFAHSultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman., Al-AlyaniOmaima Bashir SaidOBSSultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman., Ahmed Al-Kumzari, and Tariq Al-Saadi.
• Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
• World Neurosurg. 2022 Jan 1; 157: 69-74.

BackgroundCognitive impairment is a common neurologic complication of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) in childhood. A great number of learning disabilities appear in 30%-65% of children with NF-1. The aim of the study is to compare intelligence quotient (IQ) scores between children with NF-1 and comparable control groups.MethodsA literature review was conducted using the following databases: Cochrane, PubMed, Wiley, Microsoft Academic, and Google Scholar. We identified 180 papers. The pertinence of any study to the inclusion criteria was determined by assessing the title, key words, and abstracts. Data were extracted using multiple variables that were formulated incongruent with the study aim and then further analyzed.ResultsEleven articles met our criteria, with the highest level of evidence of 3c. A total of 483 NF1 and 443 control participants were included in this meta-analysis. The average and standard deviation of the age was 9.15 ± 3.15 years with an age range of 3.3-18 including 488 male and 438 female. The pooled estimate of the mean difference in all 3 parameters used full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ. Statistically, there was a significantly lower IQ in the NF-1 group compared with the control group with a 95% CI and (P < 0.00001).ConclusionThe current meta-analysis illustrated a significant intellectual deficit in children with NF-1 compared with their typically developed peers who were matched by age. Performance IQ was significantly impaired compared with verbal IQ in NF-1 children. The current findings may guide experts to tailor individualized educational programs for children with NF-1.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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