Indomethacin and recurrent ileal perforations in a preterm infant.

This article reports a case of a very low birth weight infant who was given intravenous indomethacin for a symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus and subsequently had two isolated ileal perforations several days apart. Spontaneous or indomethacin-related ileal perforation appears to constitute a separate clinical and pathologic entity, different from necrotizing enterocolitis, with a benign clinical picture and good prognosis when promptly recognized.