الفهرس 
Necrotizing EnterocolitisOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 86 |  |  |
| | | from | 86 | | |
Abstract
Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm neonates, lacks a reliable biomarker. Citrulline is primarily produced by enterocytes and correlates with intestinal function. Objective of the study is to test if Citrulline can be used as a biomarker of NEC and serving as a biomarker for intestinal recovery. Subjects: This is a case control study, Plasma citrulline levels of neonates with a gestational age <35 weeks and 2000 gram who developed NEC were measured, comparing it to properly gestational age and weight matched pretrem neonates. Patients and methods: sixty neonates were classified into two groups: the patients group which included 30 neonates with confirmed NEC and the control group which included 30 healthy preterm neonates. Results: Plasma citrulline level was significantly lower in the patients group than in the control group With Median citrulline levels of NEC and control groups were 2 and 20 μmol/l respectively (P < 0.0001), with a sensitivity of 86.7%, specificity of 93.3% and cut off level of citrulline was ≤11μmol/l for diagnosis. Conclusion: Plasma citrulline level is a very good non invasive marker for NEC diagnosis.