Congenital colonic atresia and stenosis

Five more cases are added to the 88 reported cases of successfully treated newborns with congenital colonic atresia and stenosis. Because colonic atresia and stenosis are lethal conditions when untreated, early diagnosis and operative treatment are major requisites for survival. A two-stage procedure consisting of an emergency colostomy for decompression as the first stage and an elective resection with anastomosis a few months later is recommended. The need for thorough exploration of the abdomen is emphasized because atresias may be multiple or may be associated with additional gastrointestinal anomalies.