[Prognostic factors in hypertrophic pyloric stenosis]

Although the surgical treatment of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is well established, its management and main complication after surgery, postoperative vomits, are subject to constant revisions. In this study, we sought a prognostic factor that indicates the occurrence of this complication.

We analyzed different parameters listed in the medical histories of 169 patients treated at a tertiary hospital between 2000 and 2009, both inclusive, ruling out those who suffered some type of complication (n = 17) and those who followed a different pattern of reintroduction of feeding (n = 43).

The decrease in the time interval between surgery and the first shot does not influence the outcome of patients. However, we found a negative correlation between the chlorine level in blood measured by the number of postoperative vomits. The time required to reach a correct tolerance, influenced by the degree of metabolic disorder, does influence both the number of vomits and the time required to achieve a proper tolerance. Other parameters analyzed, such as surgical time and ultrasound measurements of the pyloric olive, do not seem to influence the postoperative course of patients.

Just the degree of metabolic disturbance and blood levels of chlorine seem to influence postoperative outcome, detected by the time required to reach a correct tolerance and the number of postoperative vomits.