Presentation Time of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Diagnosed by Sonography according to Gestational Age

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: In this single center study, we assessed the timing of presentation of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) diagnosed by sonography according to the gestational age. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 49 newborn patients who were diagnosed with NEC (modified Bell's stage II and higher according to abdominal sonography and simple abdominal radiography) and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of St. Mary's Hospital between January 2008 and December 2012. Infants were grouped according to their gestational age (GA) Group I (GA or =37 weeks); early-onset NEC was considered when NEC developed at or =14 days of age. RESULTS: The number of infants in each group were Group I (n = 16), Group II (n = 20), Group III (n = 11), and Group IV (n = 2). The mean age at diagnosis of NEC was Group I (31.6 days), Group II (15.9 days), Group III (11.0 days), and Group IV (2.0 days). Early-onset NEC developed at a mean of 5.5 days of age, whereas late-onset NEC developed at a mean of 36.1 days of age. CONCLUSION: Based on early sonographic diagnosis, infants with lower gestational ages developed NEC at a more advanced postnatal age as compared to more mature infants. However, further studies are needed to understand the etiology of this disease process.