Contrast enema-negative post-NEC strictures linked to prematurity, low birth weight, and small-bowel involvement in infants.

This retrospective cohort study analyzed 191 infants with surgically confirmed post-NEC intestinal strictures who underwent preoperative contrast enema (CE). The study compared CE-positive and CE-negative infants to identify features associated with multi-segment involvement, with secondary outcomes including prematurity rate, birth weight, and site of stricture involvement. The population was infants with post-NEC intestinal strictures, but the setting and follow-up duration were not reported.

Main results showed that CE-negative infants had a higher prematurity rate (78.95% vs 52.94%, P = 0.004) and lower median birth weight (1960 g vs 2,530 g, P = 0.001). Additionally, isolated small-bowel involvement was more common in CE-negative strictures (39.47% vs 1.31%, P = 0.004). Absolute numbers for these outcomes were not reported. The study did not assess primary outcomes like multi-segment involvement in detail, focusing instead on these secondary associations.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported, including adverse events, serious adverse events, or discontinuations. Key limitations include the retrospective design, which precludes causal conclusions, and lack of reported funding or conflicts. Practice relevance was not specified, but findings highlight potential clinical markers for CE-negative strictures. Clinicians should interpret these results cautiously as observational associations that require validation in prospective studies.