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Surgical strategies in very‐low‐birthweight neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis
Author(s) -
Fasching G,
Höllwarth ME,
Schmidt B,
Mayr J
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1994.tb13246.x
Subject(s) - medicine , necrotizing enterocolitis , exploratory laparotomy , pneumoperitoneum , laparotomy , mortality rate , surgery , perforation , bowel resection , enterostomy , survival rate , stoma (medicine) , bowel perforation , pediatrics , laparoscopy , complication , materials science , punching , metallurgy
Very‐low‐birthweight (VLBW) neonates are more prone to complications and death than term infants are. In a 15‐year period, 19 neonates with VLBW were operated on for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Indications for operation were pneumoperitoneum in 12 and deterioration of general condition in 7. Bowel resection and intestinal diversion was performed in 12, a lateral enterostomy at the site of perforation was created in 5, and 2 neonates with necrosis of the whole bowel underwent an exploratory laparotomy without any further surgical treatment. Surgical complications were found in one‐third of the patients. The mortality rate was significantly higher when the ileum was affected. The survival rate was 68%. Prior to 1984 the survival rate was 37% (3/8); subsequently, it has improved to 91% (10/11) as a result of improved intensive therapy.