Background: Intestinal obstruction in neonates is a common problem that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment, and ultrasound could be a potential tool for it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of ultrasonography in diagnosing and identifying the cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates, the corresponding ultrasonic manifestations, as well as to utilize the diagnostic method.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all neonatal intestinal obstruction in our institute between 2009 and 2022. The accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction and the identification of its etiology was compared with the results of operation as the gold standard.
Results: The accuracy of the ultrasonic diagnosis of intestinal obstruction was 91%, and the accuracy of the ultrasonic etiological diagnosis of intestinal obstruction was 84%. The main ultrasound findings for the neonatal intestinal obstruction were dilation and high tension of the proximal bowel and collapse of the distal intestinal. Other major manifestations were the presence of corresponding diseases causing intestinal obstruction at the junction of the dilated and collapsed bowel.
Conclusions: Ultrasound has the advantages of being a flexible multi-section dynamic evaluation and a valuable tool to diagnose and identify the cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates.
Keywords: intestinal atresia; intestinal malrotation; intestinal obstruction; neonates; ultrasound.