NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS IN THE PREMATURE INFANT.

Necrotizing enterocolitis as a usually fatal disease of premature infants has been reported with increasing frequency in recent years, primarily in Europe (2, 11, 12, 14, 15, 23). Though the published cases have appeared under diverse titles including neonatal appendicitis (4, 18, 22), peritonitis (12), colitis (21), ileitis (1), pneumatosis intestinalis (20), or portal vein gas in infants (10, 24), we feel all reflect a basically similar disease process. The current report is based on a study of 21 cases of enterocolitis in newborn premature infants seen between 1954 and 1964; 7 were found in a six-month period in 1963. A more detailed study of the clinical and pathologic findings will be reported separately (9). Clinical Features More than 2,000 infants were admitted to the premature nursery of The Babies Hospital from 1954 to 1964. Seventeen died of enterocolitis (0.9 per cent), and 4 survived. Usually weighing under 1,500 grams at birth, the babies showed a similar clinical pattern. They seemed well d...