Predictive factors and clinical practice profile for strictures post-necrotising enterocolitis

Intestinal stricture is a severe and common complication of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), causing severe and prolonged morbidity. Our goal was to investigate the clinical predictors for strictures developing after NEC and evaluate the management outcome of the post-NEC strictures to better orient their medicosurgical care. A total of 188 patients diagnosed with NEC with identical treatment protocols throughout the period under study were retrospectively reviewed from 4 academic neonatal centers between from January 1, 2011, and October 31, 2016. Clinical predictive factors and clinical outcomes, including demographic information, clinical management, laboratory data, histopathology of resected bowel segment, and discharge summaries, were evaluated on the basis of with post-NEC strictures or not. Of the involved variables examined, the late-onset NEC [risk ratio (RR), 0.56; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.41–0.92; P < 0.001], cesarean delivery (RR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.98–2.29; P = 0.026), and first procalcitonin (PCT) (onset of symptoms) (RR, 1.82; 95% CI, 0.98–3.15; P = 0.009) were the independent predictive factors for the post-NEC strictures. C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), and plateletcrit levels were markedly higher on infants with stricture and elevated levels were maintained until the stricture was healed. Infants with intestinal stricture had significantly longer times to beginning enteral feeds (23.9 ± 12.1), than infants without intestinal stricture (18.6 ± 8.8) (P = 0.023). The median age at discharge was also significantly higher in the group with stricture (P = 0.014). This retrospective and multicenter study demonstrates that the early-onset NEC and cesarean delivery conferred protection over the post-NEC stricture. Infants with post-NEC stricture need prolonged hospitalization.