Advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutics of necrotizing enterocolitis

Necortizing enterocolitis(NEC)is a common neonatal gastrointestinal disease in new-born infants, especially in lower gestational age and lower birth weight groups.While the exact pathogenesis remains unclear, risk factors including prematurity, bacteria colonization, blood transfusion are confirmed.As recently revealed, ultrasonography and bio-markers can facilitate early diagnosis, whereas reasonable use of probiotics, lactoferrin, nitric oxide, amniotic fluids can effectively reduce the incidence of NEC.This paper is a review on pathogenesis and advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of NEC. Key words: Necrotizing enterocolitis; Pathogenesis; Early diagnosis; Therapy