Acute perforated neonatal appendicitis associated with chorioamnionitis

Perforation of the appendix is rare in term neonates and even more rare in prematures. In most of the reported cases it is a complication of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) but can also complicate Hirschsprung's disease (HD), cystic fibrosis (CF) or acute appendicitis (AA). We present a pre-term newborn, born to a mother who had bacteriaemia associated with chorioamnionitis. On his sixth day of life he had clinical and radiological signs of perforated abdominal viscus. Laparotomy and histologic findings indicated acute perforated appendicitis. The association of acute perforated appendicitis with chorioamnionitis points to the role of maternal foetal infection in the aetiology of neonatal acute appendicitis.