[Spontaneous intestinal perforation in newborn infants. A form of necrotizing enterocolitis].

The present study comprised twelve premature infants with "spontaneous" gastrointestinal perforations studied retrospectively during a period of three years. This problem was found to be more frequent in extremely premature babies affected with respiratory distress syndrome and patent ductus arteriosus and accompanied with very high mortality. A clinical-pathological correlation was done with the intestinal biopsy or postmortem studies and according to these findings, it is suggested that "spontaneous" intestinal perforations probably represent a form of necrotizing enterocolitis.