ABSTRACT
Objective From May 2010 to May 2013 and from June 2013 to June 2016, we compared the clinical analysis of patients with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in the Department of Pediatrics, studied incidence rate of NEC and the relationship between stages of NEC and prognosis, and compared the prognosis between the two three-year periods to provide the experience of diagnosis and treatment for clinical practice in the future. Methods The clinical data of patients diagnosed with NEC were retrospectively analyzed according to the diagnostic criteria of modified Bell staging classification using SPSS statistical software package. Early diagnosis rate and prognosis were compared between the two three-year periods. P＜0.05 showed that statistical significance was found. Results From May 2010 to May 2013, 40 cases of NEC were diagnosed in our hospital, among which 8 was in the first stage (20%),24 in the second stage (60%),and 8 in the third stage (20%) . The number of premature infants was 32, accounting for 80% , among which 25 cases were infants with very low birth weight accounting for 62.5% and 8 cases were full-term infants, accounting for 20% (P＜0.05) . In the study, 32 cases (80%) received traditional treatment, which was effective in stage Ⅰ. During the second stage, two abandoned the treatment was confirmed death in the follow-up, two underwent surgery successfully due to the progression of the disease and four (25%) died in the hospital. Statistic significance of treatment of internal medicine was found when comparing stage Ⅰ with stage Ⅱ (P＜0.05) . Ten children underwent surgery, among which one gave up treatment after the surgery because of financial problems and was found dead in the follow-up and four (60%) died in the hospital. The comparison of surgical treatment in patients in stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ showed no statistical significance (P＞0.05) . Fatality rates were statistically significant (P＜0.05) . From June 2013 to June 2016, 41 children were diagnosed with NEC in our hospital, including 24 cases in stage Ⅰ (59%), 14 in stage Ⅱ (34%), and 3 in stage Ⅲ (7%) . The number of premature infants was 33, accounting for 80%, among which 26 cases were infants with very low birth weight accounting for 62.5% and 8 cases were full-term infants, accounting for 20% (P＜0.05) . In the study, 35 cases (85.3%) received traditional treatment, which was effective in stage Ⅰ. During the second stage, one underwent surgery successfully due to the progression of the disease. Statistic significance of treatment of internal medicine was found when comparing stage Ⅰ with stage Ⅱ (P＜0.05) . Four children underwent surgery, among which one gave up treatment after the surgery because of financial problems and was found dead in the follow-up and the surgery was successful in other three. The comparison of surgical treatment in patients in stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ showed statistical significance (P＜0.05) . Fatality rates were statistically significant comparing the two three-year periods (P＜0.05) . The comparison of the rates of early diagnosis in the two three-year periods showed statistically significance (P＜0.001) . Conclusion Early diagnosis of NEC is the key to reduce mortality. Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) is a serological marker for early diagnosis of NEC. As an important factor, the reduction of the incidence of premature birth will result in the drop in the incidence of NEC.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the value of combined measurement of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and fecal calprotectin (FC) in the diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in full-term neonates.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 36 full-term neonates with NEC (case group) and 39 neonates without digestive system diseases (control group) were enrolled as study subjects. ELISA was used to measure the serum I-FABP level and fecal FC level, and the clinical value of I-FABP combined with FC in the diagnosis of NEC was evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The case group had significantly higher I-FABP and FC levels than the control group (P<0.05). In the case group, serum I-FABP level was positively correlated with fecal FC level (r=0.71, P<0.05). In the diagnosis of NEC, I-FABP alone, FC alone, and I-FABP/FC combination had sensitivities of 83.3%, 81.5%, and 79.5%, specificities of 72.5%, 75.8%, and 86.3%, and areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of 0.82, 0.81, and 0.88. The combined measurement showed significantly higher specificity and AUC than single measurement (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Children with NEC have significant increases in I-FABP and FC levels, and there is a correlation between them. Combined measurement of I-FABP and FC can increase the specificity of the diagnosis of NEC.</p>