Topical intraperitoneal papaverine to minimize non-viable bowel resection from non-occlusive bowel ischemia in neonatal segmental volvulus: A case report

Arrest in the embryologic intestinal rotation around the superior mesenteric artery prevents proper mesenteric attachment and subjects the gut to volvulus and ischemia which may lead to bowel resection. The length of non-viable resected bowel has been shown by Teitelbaum et al. to be an independent predictor of survival in patients with postoperative short bowel syndrome (RR = 5.74, P = .003). Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) is a feed-forward loop of vasoconstriction that aggravates the primary ischemic injury. It is an initially reversible process and a potential point of intervention for preservation of viable bowel. The Boley et al. algorithm for management of adult NOMI utilizes intravascular papaverine infusion to increase intracellular cAMP, decreasing calcium concentration and halting vasospasm. We present a modified version of this approach using topical papaverine in the setting of neonatal post-ischemic NOMI, with the goal of minimizing bowel resection.