Gastric perforation in the neonate: clinical analysis of 12 cases

Gastric perforation is a rare abdominal catastrophe which associated with high mortality in newborn infants. From June 1978 to July 1991, twelve cases of neonatal gastric perforation presented at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Male to female ratio was 9:3. The most common presenting signs were abdominal distension (100%), feeding intolerance (92%), respiratory distress (67%) and poor activity (58%). All cases had significant symptoms between two and five days of age. All of the abdominal plain film showed pneumoperitonium. The most common site of perforation was the great curvature of the stomach (83%). Among the 10 pathological reports available, 8 cases had ischemic change and 2 cases had hemorrhage and inflammatory cell infiltration. There was a high mortality rate of 58% in this series. Male, hyponatremia (serum sodium < 130 meq/l) and metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.3) were poor prognostic factors. This report suggests that early diagnosis and early management before clinical deterioration of the metabolic status may improve prognosis for neonatal gastric perforation patients.