Meconium Obstruction in Neonates-Clinical Characteristics and Treatment

태변성 장 폐쇄의 임상적 특성 및 치료

Meconium obstruction (MO) in neonates arises from highly viscid meconium and the poor motility of the premature gut. Recently the incidence of the MO in neonates has been Increasing, but, the diagnosis and treatment of this disease have not yet been clarified. Between March 2004 and April 2010, 24 neonates were treated for MO at Severance Children's Hospital. Their clinical characteristics and treatment were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty neonates were diagnosed with MO and 4 neonates were diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease (HD). The mean birth weight and gestational age of the 20 neonates with MO were $1.45{\pm}0.90kg$ and $31.1{\pm}4.6$ weeks, respectively. Thirteen neonates (65 %) diagnosed with MO weighed less than 1.5 kg and 10 neonates (50 %) weighed less than 1 kg. Half of the neonates with MO were treated by non-operative methods and the other half were treated by operative methods. Compared with the group that weighed over 1.5 kg, the group that weighed less than 1.5 kg were more frequently operated upon (61.5% vs. 28.5%), and contrast enemas were performed later and more frequently. Also the group that weighed less than 1.5 kg had a higher mortality rate (15.4% vs. 0%). Three of the four neonates with HD were diagnosed with long-segment aganglionosis. In conclusion, MO occurred in very low birth weight neonates more often and must be differentiated from HD. Also, MO in very low birth weight neonates should be treated with special attention due to more a complicated clinical course.