[Developmental disorders of the gastrointestinal tract]

Developmental disorders of the gastrointestinal tract comprise a broad spectrum of congenital malformations of different etiologies and locations from the mouth to the anus.

The authors present the most important malformations of the gastrointestinal tract on the basis of basic and current reviews.

Gastrointestinal developmental disorders occur both sporadically and in connection with malformation syndromes. Symptoms are highly variable and range from postnatal emergencies to asymptomatic abnormalities, which may be incidental radiological findings. Prenatal ultrasound examinations can often identify gastrointestinal developmental disorders at an early stage. Here, fetal magnetic resonance imaging can be a useful addition to the diagnostic process. In the first few days of life, simple X‑ray overview images, supplemented by images after the administration of contrast medium, are often sufficient.

Many patients with a malformation of the gastrointestinal tract require lifelong medical care, so that not only pediatric radiologists need specific knowledge about this group of diseases.