Neonatal gastric perforation: A case report

Abstract

Gastric perforation in the newborn is a rare surgical emergency in our practice area; nevertheless, since the earlier it is diagnosed, the better the prognosis, it is a possibility that we must be aware of. Perforation would be suspected in an infant with severe abdominal distension and diagnosis is confirmed with simple abdominal X-rays, including anteroposterior and lateral projections with horizontal ray, on which pneumoperitoneum will be shown. We report the case of a neonate diagnosed with gastric perforation at 21 h of age who underwent a successful surgical intervention and was able to go home clinically healthy nine days later.