title: Neonatal gastric perforation: A single center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the etiology and prognostic factors for neonatal gastric perforation (NGP), a rare but life-threatening disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1980 and 2011, nine patients underwent surgical intervention for NGP at Seoul National University Children's Hospital. The characteristics and prognosis of the patients were retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the nine patients, three (33.3%) were preterm babies and five (55.5%) had associated anomalies, which included diaphragmatic eventration (n = 2), congenital diaphragmatic hernia, esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula, and antral web. Three (33.3%) patients were born before 1990 and three (33.3%) had a birth weight < 2500 g. Pneumoperitoneum was found on preoperative images in six (66.7%) patients, and incidentally in the other three (33.3%) patients. Surgery was performed within 24 h after the onset of symptoms in seven (77.8%) patients. The overall mortality rate was 22.2% (2/9). The time between symptoms and surgical intervention was the only prognostic factor for survival, whereas premature birth and birth weight were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early detection and advances in neonatal intensive care may improve the prognosis of NGP.
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jeik
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Jeik Byun, Hyun Young Kim, Seung Yeon Noh, Soo Hong Kim, Sung Eun Jung, Seong Cheol Lee, Kwi Won Park, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kwi Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Etiology; Gastric perforation; Neonate; Prognosis; Surgical intervention