Diagnostic value of abdominal ultrasound for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis / 中国新生儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the diagnostic value of abdominal ultrasound for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Method Neonates diagnosed with NEC admitted to Department of Shengjing Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned into NEC stage Ⅱ group and NEC stage Ⅲ group based on the modified Bell-NEC grading criteria. Meanwhile, according to the timing of imaging examination, the patients were assigned into the group within 7 days after the onset of NEC and the group between 8 and 14 days. They were then grouped into conservative treatment group and surgery group. The difference between abdominal X-ray plain film and abdominal ultrasound in the performance of diagnosing NEC within groups were compared. Result A total of 60 patients with NEC were studied, including 38 with NEC stage Ⅱand 22 with NEC stage Ⅲ, among them 14 patients underwent surgery, others had conservative treatment. The average gestational age was (33.3±3.2) weeks and the average birth weight was (2047±831) g. The positive detection rate of pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas by abdominal ultrasound vs. X-ray plain film in≤7 d group were 38.3％ (23/60) vs. 15.0％ (9/60) (P=0.004) and 15.0％(9/60) vs. 1.7％ (1/60) (P=0.008), respectively, indicating the positive detection rate of abdominal ultrasound was significantly higher than that of X-ray within 7 d after the onset of NEC. However, there was no significant difference in the detection rate between abdominal ultrasound and abdominal X-ray 8～14 d after the onset of NEC (P>0.05). The detection rate of intestinal wall thickening and peritoneal effusion by abdominal ultrasound together with the detection rate of intestinal dilatation and free gas in abdominal cavity by abdominal X-ray plain film in the conservative treatment group were significantly lower than those in the surgery group (P<0.05). Conclusion Abdominal ultrasound can help detecting the characteristic features of NEC (pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas) in time, which has great value for early diagnosis and assessing severity.