title: Meconium-related ileus in very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight infants: immediate and one-year postoperative outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One of the major causes of bowel obstruction in extremely premature infants is a meconium obstruction. However, there are many challenges not only in the recognition and diagnosis, but also in the management of meconium obstruction. This study aimed to find perioperative clinical features and determine the postoperative course of meconium-related ileus in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of premature infants (n = 11, VLBW infnats; n = 16, ELBW infants) with a meconium-related ileus who underwent operation for intractable ileus between January 2009 and May 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average duration of conservative management was longer and postnatal age was older in ELBW infants than VLBW infants: 19.9 days vs. 11.5 days and 34.9 days vs. 19.2 days. The immediate postoperative course (day that beginning feeding and full feeding) was not significantly different based on birth weight, but the ELBW infants had slightly higher mortality. At 12 months of corrected age after operation, both average body weight and average height was below 10th percentile for growth in most infants (61.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a slightly high mortality in the ELBW infants, but two groups did not experience significant differences in the immediate postoperative course of meconium-related ileus. Nevertheless, considering their growth patterns, it is necessary to do a close follow-up and more aggressive nutritional management to achieve optimal growth and development in both patient groups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea. ; Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hae-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea. ; Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Shin-Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ah-Young
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Extremely low birth weight infant; Growth; Ileus; Meconium; Very low birth weight infant