Abstract Thirty-seven patients who had necrotizing enterocolitis and required emergency surgical intervention are reviewed. The indications for surgery were intestinal perforation (28), intestinal obstruction (7), clinical deterioration (1) and persistent rectal bleeding (1). The initial procedure was percutaneous peritoneal catheter drainage (13), intestinal diversion alone (8), intestinal resection (14), laparotomy and biopsy (1) and laparotomy alone (1). Twelve patients developed late intestinal strictures. The overall mortality rate was 35 per cent.