Anastomosis vs Stoma for Intestinal Perforation in Preterm Neonatal Surgery

Authors from the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in the United Kingdom retrospectively reviewed all neonates requiring operative intervention for necrotizing enterocolitis or isolated perforation at a single neonatal surgical center between September 1996 and March 2004 (80 months) to compare primary resection and anastomosis with resection and creation of an enterostomy. Patients who underwent peritoneal drainage prior to laparotomy were excluded. Survival was defined as transfer back to the referring hospital or discharge home. A total of 68 patients with a median gestational age of 28.5 weeks and median birth weight of …