II. Indications
- Suspected Necrotizing Enterocolitis in infants
III. Scoring: Based on Abdominal Imaging
- Non-specific findings
- Score 0: Normal Gas Pattern
- Score 1: Mild bowel distention
- Score 2: Moderate bowel distention (or normal) AND bubbly intraluminal lucencies (probably stool)
- Score 3: Focal moderate distention of bowel loops
-
Ascites, Bowel Wall Thickening or Edema
- Score 4: Separation or bowel loop focal thickening
- Score 5: Multiple separated bowel loops (or featureless)
- Possible bowel necrosis, gas forming organisms
- Score 6: Possible pneumatosis (along with other findings above)
- Score 7: Bowel loop dilation is persistent or fixed (>24 to 36 hours)
- Score 8: Definite pneumatosis (or highly likely)
- Score 9: Portal venous gas
- Score 10: Pneumoperitoneum (intestinal perforation)
IV. Interpretation
- Score >=7 predicts high probability of surgical intervention