Necrotizing enterocolitis
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Clinic
- NEC is a devastating intestinal disease that affects premature or very low birth weight infants.
- Initial symptoms include
- Feeding intolerance and failure to thrive
- Increased gastric residuals
- Abdominal distension
- Bloody stools.
- Symptoms may progress rapidly to abdominal discoloration with intestinal perforation and peritonitis and systemic hypotension requiring intensive medical support.
Main risk factors
- Low birth weight / Prematurity
- Formula feeding (bovine based)
- Intestinal dysbiosis
Pathophysiology
- Combination of poor blood flow and intestinal infection
- 7% of those who are born prematurely develop NEC
Diagnostic feature
- Intestinal pneumatosis, Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis, Pneumatosis coli, or Intramural bowel gas
- It is gas cysts in the bowel wall.
- It is As a radiological sign of necrotizing enterocolitis.