Is Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation Part of Same Disease Spectrum - New Insights?

Abstract

The diagnosis of NEC is based on the presence of pneumatosis, dilated bowel loops, portal venous gas, or pneumoperitoneum on the abdominal x-ray. Published studies suggest that the appearance of pneumatosis most likely depends on the gestational age, with a shift occurring between 27-28 weeks. For infants of gestational age under 27 weeks, pneumoperitoneum is the most likely presentation of bowel injury due to the thin bowel wall and the colonization of the gut with the non-gas-producing bacteria. Assessment of postoperative morbidity and white matter injury on the brain MRI at term equivalent age in a cohort of preterm infants failed to identify differences between SIP and NEC groups when confirmed by histology. These findings illustrate the difficulty in conclusively identifying cases as SIP or NEC, particularly when gestational age is considered and raise speculation that both conditions lie on the same spectrum of intestinal injury.