Meconium peritonitis and pseudo‐cyst formation: prenatal diagnosis and post‐natal course
- 7 October 2003
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Wiley in Prenatal Diagnosis
- Vol. 23 (11) , 904-908
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.720
Abstract
Objectives Intra‐uterine bowel perforation can occur secondary to a variety of abnormalities and cause sterile peritonitis in the fetus (generalised = type I). If sealing of the perforation does not take place, a thick‐walled pseudo‐cyst can form (type II). Methods Over a 12‐year period, 21 616 pregnancies were screened for gastro‐intestinal malformations using prenatal ultrasound. We identified 1077 cases suspicious of surgically correctable malformations. Post‐natal diagnoses and outcome were worked up retrospectively. Result We found 96 fetuses with suspected gastro‐intestinal malformations. Prenatal bowel perforation with meconium peritonitis was confirmed in 11 cases. In 5 of these 11, the correct diagnosis had been predicted prenatally. One child presented as a fetal and neonatal emergency (case report). Ten of the eleven infants were operated on during their first day of life. Intra‐operative findings were atresia (n = 4), meconium ileus (n = 6) and no obvious cause (n = 1). Two children suffered fatal complications. Conclusion Meconium peritonitis and meconium pseudo‐cysts as its special manifestation are assessable by prenatal diagnosis but present in different ways. They can present as fetal ascites or echogenic bowel and cause fetal or neonatal distress, requiring close observation and highly specialised care. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- UNUSUAL SEQUELA OF MECONIUM PERITONITIS IN AN INFANT: MASSIVE CONTRALATERAL EXTENSION OF A HERNIAL SACJournal of Urology, 2001
- Fetus-in-fetu presenting as cystic meconium peritonitis: Diagnosis, pathology, and surgical managementJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 2000
- Echogenic bowel in fetuses with homozygous α‐thalassemia‐1 in the first and second trimestersUltrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1999
- Intra-uterine parvovirus B19 infection and meconium peritonitisPrenatal Diagnosis, 1998
- Meconium peritonitis—A leading cause of neonatal peritonitis in KashmirIndian Journal of Pediatrics, 1996
- The natural history of meconium peritonitis diagnosed in uteroJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 1995
- New spielmeyer‐vogt variant with granular inclusions and early brain atrophyAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics, 1995
- Prenatal Diagnosis of Cystic Meconium PeritonitisJournal of Clinical Ultrasound, 1984
- Giant cystic meconium peritonitis (GCMP): Improved management based on clinical and laboratory observationsJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 1982