Introduction Meckel diverticula are located along the antimesenteric border of the distal ileum and may contain rests of ectopic tissue. They are the most common congenital anomaly of the alimentary tract with an estimated prevalence of 1% to 4% in…
Inguinal hernia repair is the most common surgical procedure performed by pediatric surgeons. A hernia can be thought of as protrusion of contents through a defect or opening. The many different types of hernias found in children are defined by…
Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the previous authors Anthony T. Manning and Danny C. Little for their assistance with the 6th edition of this chapter. Introduction Intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in children less…
Introduction Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical conditions afflicting children and adults. Approximately 250,000 cases occur annually in the United States, with the highest incidence in patients 10 to 19 years of age. The lifetime risk of…
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth The microbiota of the small intestine is essential for proper immune regulation and nutrient absorption. Typically, the concentration of bacteria is less in the proximal small intestine compared with the distal small intestine. Bacterial concentration of…
Hepatic tumors make up only 1% to 4% of pediatric solid tumors, and most of these are metastatic lesions from an extrahepatic site. The symptoms leading to their diagnosis are usually nonspecific and may be erroneously attributed to an underlying…
Acknowledgment We would like to acknowledge the authors of the prior edition, Zev H. Davidovics, Karen F. Murray, and Laura S. Finn, for the structure and a significant portion of the content of this chapter. Many thanks to Thomas Plesec,…
The anal sphincter consists of an inner ring of smooth muscle, the internal anal sphincter, the intersphincteric space, and an outer ring of skeletal muscle, the external anal sphincter. The internal sphincter is an involuntary muscle that maintains anal tone.…
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is primarily a disease of prematurity, with only 10% of affected infants born after 36 weeks of gestation. NEC contributes significantly to short-term…
Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is an umbrella term for heterogeneous disorders that result in the inability of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to move contents through an unobstructed lumen and are thus unified by similarities in their clinical presentation, evaluation, and…