RT Book, Section
A1 Gomella, Tricia Lacy
A1 Eyal, Fabien G.
A1 Bany-Mohammed, Fayez
SR Print(0)
ID 1168356974
T1 Pneumoperitoneum
T2 Gomella's Neonatology: Management, Procedures, On-Call Problems, Diseases, and Drugs, 8e
YR 2020
FD 2020
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259644818
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1168356974
RD 2022/08/10
AB A  pneumoperitoneum  is  seen  on  an  abdominal  radiograph.  A  pneumoperitoneum  is  an  abnormal  collection  of  free  air  in  the  peritoneal  cavity.  The  air  can  be  secondary  to  perforation  of  the  gastrointestinal  (GI)  tract  (most  common,  approximately  90%  of  cases)  or  from  the  respiratory  tract,  or  it  can  be  idiopathic  with  no  known  cause.  Necrotizing  enterocolitis  (NEC)  with  perforation  is  the  most  common  cause  of  a  pneumoperitoneum  in  the  neonate,  and  it  carries  a  high  mortality  rate.  Approximately  78.5%  of  pneumoperitoneums  were  secondary  to  NEC;  therefore,  a  neonate  with  a  pneumoperitoneum  requires  immediate  evaluation  and  treatment  because  early  recognition  is  important  in  successful  management.  It  is  important  to  note  that  a  diagnosis  of  a  pneumoperitoneum  does  not  always  imply  a  GI  perforation.  Careful  assessment  of  each  case  can  limit  unnecessary  laparotomies  and  their  surgical  complications.