Pathologic findings in necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns

(A) Histologic section of small bowel (original magnification ×100; hematoxylin-eosin stain). Intramural gas is seen as rounded bubbles in the submucosa (arrows). There is hyperemia of the serosa.
(B) Histologic section of small bowel (original magnification, ×100; hematoxylin-eosin stain). The bowel is affected much more severely than in panel A. There is necrosis of the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis with intraluminal necrotic debris on the mucosal side of the bowel wall. Only the serosa appears intact.
(C) Postmortem photograph of bowel involved with severe NEC. The arrows indicate areas of the bowel wall where there has been so much necrosis and sloughing of the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis that only the serosa is intact. One can see through these areas of the serosa into the lumen of the bowel.