A Case of Idiopathic Diffuse Pneumoperitoneum Presented with Neonatal Abdominal Color Change

Necrotizing enterocolitis is the leading cause of intestinal perforation and pneumoperitoneum in neonates. In addition, neonatal pneumoperitoneum includes several conditions requiring surgery, such as gastric and duodenal perforation, intestinal atresia, volvulus, meconium ileus, and Hirschsprung’s disease. A type of pneumoperitoneum in which intra-abdominal free air is detected through direct X-ray; however, no cause is found clinically and radiologically during the surgery is named “benign pneumoperitoneum”.

Case report: 

This case report presents a 5-day-old male newborn who is presented with complaints of abdominal color change and vomiting and is diagnosed with Idiopathic Benign Pneumoperitoneum (IBP) during the operation. Neonatal pneumoperitoneum usually occurs as a result of perforation and requires emergency surgery. Rare cases of IBP should also be kept in mind. Unnecessary surgery can be prevented by establishing a differential diagnosis with clinical, laboratory, and imaging methods.  

This case demonstrated that laparotomy is not a true routine in neonates with IBP if a timely diagnosis is established.