Ischemic enterocolitis (IEC) is the total or partial infarction of the intestine in the absence of occlusion of a major mesenteric blood vessel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of IEC in children.

A clinical analysis of 6 patients with IEC who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics at Pusan National University Hospital, between 1996 and 2005 was conducted retrospectively. Patients were diagnosed with IEC based on clinical characteristics, including radiologic, endoscopic, histopathologic, and intraoperative findings.

Four boys and 2 girls between the age of 6 weeks and 6 years were included in this study. Most of the patients were born at term and had a birth weight that was appropriate for their gestational age. The major symptoms of IEC observed included hematochezia or hematemesis (5 cases), vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or irritability (4 cases), as well as abdominal distension and fever (3 cases). IEC occurred in thecolon in 5 cases (2 descending colon, 1 descending and sigmoid colon, 1 sigmoid colon, 1 whole colon) and the duodenal bulb and gastric antrum in 1 case each. The type of the lesions observed includedulcera, which were found in 3 cases, perforation, which was pbserved in 2 cases, necrotic patches, which were observed in 2 cases, stricture, which was observedin 1 cases, and massive membranous desquamation of the epithelium, which was observed in 1 case. Two of the patients received surgical treatment and the remaining four were treated conservatively. None of the patients died.

The presentation of IEC varies, and the findings of this study will be helpful in managing patients with IEC.