ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical significance of interstitial cell of Cajal (ICC) in spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation by examining the expression of c-kit and Cx43 in neonates with this disorder.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The gastric specimens of 19 cases of neonatal gastric perforation from 2001 to 2010 and 8 cases of accidental death without digestive tract malformations (control) were collected. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to examine the expression of c-kit and Cx43 (immunomarkers of ICCs) in gastric tissues.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The muscular layer of the stomach wall became thinner or deficient in the gastric perforation group. C-kit and Cx43 positive cells in gastric tissues decreased significantly in the gastric perforation group compared with those in the control group (P＜0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The development of spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation is associated with the decreased quantity of ICCs and damaged gap junction structure of the stomach wall.</p>