Late morbidity among survivors of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Of 40 survivors of necrotizing enterocolitis 19 were completely normal children at the time of follow-up, one to three years later. Among the other 21 children, only six had moderate to severe neurologic impairment, representing 15% of all survivors. Despite the fact that intestinal injury is the main feature of the neonatal disease, only four children were symptomatic from gastrointestinal sequelae, and none of these suffered failure to thrive. Thus, 81% (17) of the children with late morbidity had problems unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract. The nongastrointestinal morbidity was associated with prematurity and the degree of perinatal stress.