Hexosaminidase: a marker for intestinal gangrene in necrotizing enterocolitis

Detection of intestinal ischemia, prior to necrosis, is a major clinical problem. The lysosomal acid hydrolase, hexosaminidase (HEX), is known to be elevated in intestinal infarction. To determine if this enzyme could differentiate between partial intestinal ischemia and full-thickness intestinal gangrene, the following rat study was designed. Partial segmental intestinal ischemia was created by ligating alternate vascular bundles over a short (6 vessel) segment of the small-bowel mesentery, and complete segmental intestinal vascular occlusion was achieved by ligating the blood supply to the ileocecal segment. Preoperative serum HEX values were obtained from 15 animals. The rats were separated into one sham-operated and two intestinal ischemia groups. At four hours after surgery HEX values were determined. Total HEX activity was significantly elevated four hours after insult in both partial and complete intestinal ischemia, (P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.001 respectively). Total HEX activity was greater in complete intestinal ischemia than in partial ischemia, (P less than 0.05). Three neonates with intestinal perforation, secondary to necrotizing enterocolitis, were evaluated. The mean preoperative HEX activity was 1421 nmol/hr/mL serum and the mean post-resection HEX activity was 808 nmol/hr/mL serum. These data suggest that serum HEX activity may be a good marker for intestinal gangrene in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis.