Neonatal Appendicitis as a Rare Cause of Intestinal Perforation in a Preterm Neonate

Intestinal perforation or inflammation due to appendicitis is rarely encountered in the neonatal period. The diagnosis may be delayed due to the lack of specific clinical symptoms and its rarity in this patient population. Early surgical treatment is the main treatment strategy with a good prognosis. However, delayed diagnosis may result in complications and even death. Herein, we describe a late preterm female neonate without any risk factors who had a diagnosis of perforated appendicitis at postnatal day 5. To the authors' knowledge, this case represents the earliest presentation of neonatal perforated appendicitis elucidated by prompt diagnostic laparotomy. Neonatal appendicitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infants with abdominal clinical findings.