Effect of time of diagnosis to surgery on outcome, including long-term neurodevelopmental outcome, in necrotizing enterocolitis.

A systematic review of the PubMed and EMBASE databases was carried out to determine if time from diagnosis to surgery affects outcomes in necrotising enterocolitis. The study was registered on the PROSPERO website. Studies reporting both time to surgery and at least one clinical outcome measure in infants undergoing surgery for NEC were included. The initial search returned 1121 articles. After removing duplicates, title, and abstract screening, 49 remained for full-text review. Of these, only two reported both timing of surgery for NEC and at least one clinical outcome. The total number of neonates included was 202. Outcomes reported were death and/or parenteral nutrition use 28 days post surgery in one study and white matter brain injury in the other. No statistically significant association was found between any of the outcomes reported and timing of surgery. There were, however, significant differences associated with non-modifiable risk factors, such as age and gestation, at presentation. However, very few studies report this as a variable. Given the continuing poor outcomes and heterogeneous nature of NEC and its treatments, further large-scale prospective studies are required to examine the impact of timing of surgery, alongside other, potentially modifiable factors on outcome in NEC.

Outcomes for necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in babies born at the threshold of viability: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The threshold for active management of babies born prematurely in the UK is currently 22 weeks. The optimal management strategy for necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in babies born at or near this threshold remains unclear. AIM: To review our institutional experience of babies born <24 weeks diagnosed with NEC, identify risk factors for NEC, and compare outcomes with a control cohort. METHODS: All infants born <24 weeks gestation January 2015-December 2021 were identified. Babies diagnosed with NEC were defined as cases and babies with no NEC diagnosis as controls. Patient demographics, clinical features, complications and outcomes were extracted from the medical record and compared between cases and controls. RESULTS: Of 56 babies, 31 (55.3%) were treated for NEC. There was no difference in NEC-specific risk factors between cases and controls. 17 babies (30.4%) underwent surgery, of these, 11/17 (64.7%) presented with a C reactive protein rise and 11/17 (64.7%) a fall in platelet count. Pneumatosis intestinalis (3/17 (17.7%)) or pneumoperitoneum (3/17 (17.7%)) were present in only a minority of cases. Abdominal ultrasound demonstrated intestinal perforation in 8/8 cases. The surgical complication rate was 5/17 (29.4%). There was no difference in the incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia and survival to discharge between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of NEC in infants born <24 weeks gestation is challenging with inconsistent clinical and radiological features. Ultrasound scanning is a useful imaging modality. Mortality was comparable regardless of a diagnosis of NEC. Low gestational age is not a contraindication to surgical intervention in NEC.

Post-operative paediatric cerebellar mutism syndrome: time to move beyond structural MRI.

PURPOSE: To determine the value of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting post-operative paediatric cerebellar mutism syndrome (pCMS) in children undergoing surgical treatment for medulloblastoma. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study design. Electronic/paper case note review of all children with medulloblastoma presenting to Great Ormond Street Hospital between 2003 and 2013. The diagnosis of pCMS was established through a scoring system incorporating mutism, ataxia, behavioural disturbance and cranial nerve deficits. MRI scans performed at three time points were assessed by neuroradiologists blinded to the diagnosis of pCMS. RESULTS: Of 56 children included, 12 (21.4%) developed pCMS as judged by a core symptom of mutism. pCMS was more common in those aged 5 or younger. There was no statistically significant difference in pre-operative distortion or signal change of the dentate or red nuclei or superior cerebellar peduncles (SCPs) between those who did and did not develop pCMS. In both early (median 5 days) and late (median 31 months) post-operative scans, T2-weighted signal change in SCPs was more common in the pCMS group (p = 0.040 and 0.046 respectively). Late scans also showed statistically significant signal change in the dentate nuclei (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The development of pCMS could not be linked to any observable changes on pre-operative structural MRI scans. Post-operative T2-weighted signal change in the SCPs and dentate nuclei underlines the role of cerebellar efferent injury in pCMS. Further research using advanced quantitative MRI sequences is warranted given the inability of conventional pre-surgical MRI to predict pCMS.