Necrotizing enterocolitis. New thoughts about pathogenesis and potential treatments.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. An incomplete understanding of its pathogenesis has hampered efforts to devise an effective preventative strategy. New insights into the pathogenesis of NEC, particularly at the cellular and biochemical level, however, offer a rational basis for the development of new approaches to this disease.