Fecal incontinence can have serious implications on the social development of children and young adults, which, in turn, can provoke serious psychological and behavioral sequelae. It is a problem that affects more children than previously appreciated, including those born with…
“Imperforate anus” has been a described entity for centuries. In fact, an early description suggested that “an infant whose anus is not visible should be rubbed with oil and stood in the sun, and where it shows transparent it should…
Hirschsprung disease (HD), also known as “congenital megacolon,” is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of the intestine. The first known description of this condition was by ancient Hindu surgeons in the Shushruta…
Despite nearly two centuries of recognition and five decades of increasingly intensive study, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains an unsolved problem. Reports from France as early as the 1820s describing “gangrenous necrosis” of the intestine were echoed in Vienna 30 years…
Intestinal obstruction is one of the most common admitting diagnoses to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), accounting for as many as one-third of all admissions. Failure to pass meconium within the first 24–48 hours of life, feeding intolerance, abdominal…
Normal rotation of the intestine requires transformation from a simple, straight alimentary tube into the mature fixed and folded configuration normally present at birth. Through precise embryologic events, the duodenojejunal junction becomes fixed in the left upper abdomen while the…
Congenital intestinal obstruction occurs in approximately 1 in 2000 live births and is a common cause of admission to a neonatal surgical unit, accounting for up to one-third of all admissions. Morphologically, congenital defects related to continuity of the intestine…
The stomach forms from the foregut and is recognizable by the fifth week of gestation. It then elongates, descends, and dilates to form its familiar structure by the seventh week of gestation. The vascular supply to the stomach is very…
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a condition that is commonly encountered in infants but usually resolves by 2 years of age. GER is defined as the involuntary retrograde passage of gastric contents into the esophagus, with or without regurgitation or vomiting.…
Esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) anomalies present the pediatric surgeon with a unique and complex congenital disease, which tests both the diagnostic and technical skill of the surgeon. Most pediatric surgeons consider the surgical correction of these malformations…