title: The effect of antenatal diagnosis on the management of small bowel atresia.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether babies with small bowel atresia (SBA) diagnosed antenatally followed a different course from those diagnosed postnatally. We reviewed the records of neonates admitted to a single institution between 1985 and 2000 with a diagnosis of SBA. Thirty-nine neonates presented with SBA, with antenatal diagnosis (AND) being made in 12 (31%). There was no difference between the AND and postnatal diagnosis (PND) groups in terms of gestational age at birth, but the AND group had a lower mean birth weight. The babies in the AND group were operated on more quickly than those in the PND group. Ten out of 12 (83%) AND patients required parenteral nutrition compared with 12 out of 27 (44%) in the PND group, and the AND group had a significantly longer mean length of stay and spent a longer time on parenteral nutrition than the PND group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Burge
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007409:Intestinal Atresia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000002:abnormalities*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D006113:United Kingdom