Surgical therapy for necrotizing enterocolitis: bringing evidence to the bedside.
Necrotizing enterocolitis is the most common surgical emergency in the neonatal intensive care unit. Despite decades of research that have led to a growing knowledge base about this disease, NEC continues to challenge the pediatric surgeon. In this review, we will examine the development of surgical therapy for NEC in the context of the supportive evidence, or lack thereof, for treatment approaches. We will discuss issues of indications for surgical intervention, primary peritoneal drainage versus laparotomy, enterostomy versus primary anastamosis and issues surrounding NEC totalis.
Henry
Marion C W
MC
Section of Pediatric Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8062, USA.
Lawrence Moss
R
R
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D004322:Drainage; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016896:Treatment Outcome