Case of severe abdominal distension in premature female infant.
This article describes the case of a female infant who presented with necrotising enterocolitis 6 weeks after premature birth. The female infant developed severe abdominal distension while admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The infant weighed 520 g at birth and was born at 23 weeks of gestation. An emergency cesarean section had to be performed because of rupture of membranes. Her paediatrician put her on enteral feedings and parenteral nutrition. She was growing well with the combination. In addition, her doctor advised a plain radiography to evaluate the abdominal distension. The radiograph was remarkable of dilated loops of small bowel. Whereas abdominal ultrasound revealed possible perforation. Furthermore, an exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis.
Necrotising enterocolitis
Necrotising enterocolitis is describes as an inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, resulting in bowel necrosis and perforation. It is a cause of complications and death in neonates, especially premature infants.
Treatment included resection of the affected bowel segment with an ileostomy. The infant underwent an ileostomy reversal four months after the procedure. She had an uneventful recovery and was able to fully feed by mouth at the time of discharge. In addition, she had normal growth at her 2-year follow up.
References
Necrotizing Enterocolitis https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2020782