[Intestinal infarction in the newborn]

Intestinal infarction was studied in 20 children with acute gastroenteritis. Eighteen cases (90%) died and 2 (10%) recovered. The disease was most frequently seen in infants under one month of age (85%) and in malnourished cases with subnormal weight at birth. It was suspected only in four patients and in the rest, it was a surgical or post mortem finding. No clinical or radiological findings were detected to orient diagnosis. The following signs are considered jointly to support a diagnostic suspicion; prolonged paralytic ileus, abdominal vascular distress, peritoneal irritation, shock and history of diarrhea. Considerations are made on its pathology, clinical picture and treatment, stressing the fact that an early surgical treatment may increase survival possibilities.