Gastrointestinal Emergency in Neonates and Infants: A Pictorial Essay

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) emergencies in neonates and infants encompass from the beginning to the end of the GI tract. Both congenital and acquired conditions can cause various GI emergencies in neonates and infants. Given the overlapping or nonspecific clinical findings of many different neonatal and infantile GI emergencies and the unique characteristics of this age group, appropriate imaging is key to accurate and timely diagnosis while avoiding unnecessary radiation hazard and medical costs. In this paper, we discuss the radiological findings of essential neonatal and infantile GI emergencies, including esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, duodenal atresia, malrotation, midgut volvulus for upper GI emergencies, and jejunoileal atresia, meconium ileus, meconium plug syndrome, meconium peritonitis, Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformation, necrotizing enterocolitis, and intussusception for lower GI emergencies.

Duodenogastric Intussusception in a 14-Week-Old Infant with Donohue Syndrome: Case Study

“…This entity was not previously reported in patients with DS, and its clinical, radiological, and histological characteristics, as found in our patient, could add important insights into the complex gastrointestinal picture of DS. Ultrasonography remains a valuable imaging study option for gastrointestinal emergency diagnosis in infants [ 9 , 10 ].…”

The multivariate cox regression model for complete enteral nutrition after primary anastomosis in neonates with intestinal atresia

“…Significantly, nasal feeding can be temporarily applied for premature babies with poor swallowing function. When the children show feeding intolerance such as bloating and vomiting, pediatricians will avoid increasing the feeding amount, even abandon feeding again ( 3 , 4 ). Finally, the terminus was identified when the patients were completely removed from parenteral nutrition.…”

“…The main clinical manifestations are persistent vomiting, meconium missing and progressive abdominal distension after birth ( 1 , 2 ). Complete intestinal obstruction can be resolved by immediate surgery, but oral feeding after operation will consume tremendous amount of hospital stay and cost, because children require continuous intravenous nutrition until full enteral feeding ( 3 , 4 ). However, current studies mainly discussed the influence of the single factor on the recovery of postoperative intestinal function in children, which made it impossible for clinicians to comprehensively consider the prognosis.…”

Upper gastrointestinal series in healthy neonates with bilious vomiting—is it still obvious? A retrospective observational study

“…Emerging data advocate the use of ultrasonography (US) for diagnosis of volvulus in acute care settings. A reversal of the relative position of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV) on US is suggestive for malrotation, and in MGV the ‘whirpool sign’ of the twisted mesenteric vessels is seen 5 . Due to the raising awareness of time‐critical diagnosis of MGV, the number of UGI following BV is constantly increasing, although the absolute number of positive tests has not significantly changed 6 .…”