title: Discharge outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants with spontaneous intestinal perforations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine discharge outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW) with spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP).
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center retrospective cohort study of all ELBW infants admitted to the University of Virginia neonatal intensive care unit between July 1996 and June 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found 35 patients with SIP (incidence 8.4%). The median gestational age was 25 weeks, median birth weight was 722 g, and 71% of the infants were male. Most infants (n=28) with SIP were diagnosed secondary to pneumoperitoneum; however, one-third (7) of infants<25 weeks had occult presentations without pneumoperitoneum. When controlled for gestational age, gender, multiple gestation, indomethacin, and glucocorticoid exposure, infants with SIP have a higher risk of PVL and death than infants without perforation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Periventricular leukomalacia and death are significantly associated with SIP in ELBW after adjusting for gestational age, multiple gestation, indomethacin, and glucocorticoid exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, and Department of Pediatrics, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Attridge
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gurka
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: McGahren
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011027:Pneumoperitoneum / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology