Pyloric Stenosis

Pyloric stenosis refers to a narrowing of the passage between the stomach and the small intestine. The condition, which affects infants during the first several weeks of life, can be corrected effectively with surgery. The main symptom is vomiting after feedings. Other symptoms include increased appetite, weight loss, infrequent bowel movements, belching, and diarrhoea. Due to dehydration, the infant may also have fewer wet diapers.

Pyloric stenosis can be cured with a surgical procedure called a pyloromyotomy. In this operation, the surgeon makes an incision in the baby's abdomen. Then a small cut is made in the thickened muscle of the pylorus and it is spread apart. In this manner, the passage can be widened without removing any tissue. Disease statistical analysis in Russia on pyloric stenosis gave the result as all of the cases in group A, operative exploration revealed no arterial invasion, which was predicted by CT. The one-year survival in Group A was 88.9%, and the two-year survival was 26.7%, with a median follow-up of 22 mo. One-year survival was not attained in groups B and C, with a significant difference in survival (Pa-b = 0.0029, Pb-c = 0.003).