Fecal calprotectin as a non-invasive marker for the prediction of post-necrotizing enterocolitis stricture

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of fecal calprotectin (FC) levels during the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) episode to predict the onset of post-NEC intestinal stricture.

The medical records of patients with NEC treated from April 2020 to April 2022 were recorded for this study. FC was quantified at the acute phase of NEC. FC levels were compared in patients with or without intestinal stricture. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was constructed to determine optimal cut-offs of FC for post-NEC intestinal stricture.

A total of 50 infants with NEC were enrolled in this study and 14 (28%) of them eventually developed intestinal stricture. All children with intestinal stricture underwent one-stage surgery and all made it through the follow-up period alive. The median FC level was 1237.55 (741.25, 1378.80) ug/g in patients with intestinal stricture and it was significantly higher than that in the non-stricture group [158.30 (76.23, 349.13) ug/g, P < 0.001]. FC had good diagnostic accuracy for predicting intestinal stricture, according to ROC curve analysis, with an AUC area of 0.911. At an optimal cut-off value of 664.2 ug/g, sensitivity and specificity were 85.71% and 91.67%, respectively.

As a non-invasive parameter, FC has excellent efficacy and accuracy in predicting post-NEC intestinal stricture. Increased FC levels at the acute phase of NEC were associated with the development of intestinal stricture.