Assessment of Gastric Emptying in Formula-fed and Breast-Fed Late Preterm Neonates by Using Real-Time Bowel Ultrasound

Abstract

Feeding intolerance, a common problem for preterm infants, is characterised by signs of delayed gastric emptying. Ultrasound offers a more physiological and noninvasive technique and has been used successfully to investigate gastric emptying in preterm infants, with antral cross-sectional area (ACSA) shown to correlate with feed volumes delivered to preterm infants. This is Real time bowel ultrasound (RTBU) technique was used to compare gastric emptying after a feed of expressed breast milk and high calorie formula milk (infatrini) in A case control comparative study of 40 late preterm infants recruited from NICU department, Ain Shams University Hospital, divided into 2 groups: Group (1) with 21 late pre-term babies breast fed as control group and Group (2) with 19 late pre-term babies fed with high calorie formula, Each infant feeds via a nasogastric tube. Real time ultrasound images of the gastric antrum were obtained and measurements of antral cross sectional area (ACSA) were made before the feed and then sequentially after its completion until the ACSA returned to its prefeed value.